LEXINGTON, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Education released the 2021–22 S.C. School Report Card on Monday, Oct. 17, detailing school performance in areas such as graduation rates, student achievement and school climate. Overall, Lexington District One schools continued to perform better than the state, with more than 53% of our schools earning a good or excellent overall rating.
Additionally, 60% of our high schools rated good or excellent on college- and career-readiness, as well as graduation rate. The district saw gains in the performance of English learners’ progress, with 57% of schools scoring good or excellent compared to 50% in 2019 — the last year that districts received ratings in the state report cards.
“Our school is dedicated to helping all students perform at their highest level,” said Dr. Brice Cockfield, principal of Carolina Springs Middle, a school that scored excellent in English learners’ progress. “We have a dedicated multilingual learner program teacher who advocates for students and focuses on their engagement in school. Our multilingual learners accomplished rigorous coursework, while simultaneously learning a new language, which demonstrates their impressive perseverance.”
The district also faces some challenges, with 20% of our schools scoring below average in the “Student Progress” category which considers growth in English language arts and math on the SC READY assessment.
“We are committed to improving academic achievement,” said Dr. Gerrita Postlewait, superintendent. “It’s clear the pandemic, as well as other challenges facing our schools and students, impacted outcomes. We know, however, that through targeted instruction in core subjects and support for our students, our schools will rebound and thrive.”
Postlewait continued, “We are already seeing some schools experience faster progress. For example, Oak Grove Elementary improved its Student Progress rating from average to excellent from 2019 to 2021. That shows we have the tools in place for students to learn and grow. Now we must continue to identify students in need of extra support, place them in appropriate levels of assistance and establish a system to monitor their progress.”
The district also increased staffing to increase academic and behavioral interventions.
Test scores resulted in 47% of schools rating below average in the “Preparing for Success” category which includes grades four and six SCPASS science assessment, and the biology and U.S. history end-of-course exams in high school.
Next steps include continuing and in some cases developing programs to help staff and students improve achievement.
“Here at Gilbert High, we revamped our Freshmen Academy aimed at supporting our students who’ve gone through a lot of transition during the pandemic,” said Jacob Nelson, GHS principal. “Students take a course to learn effective study and organizational skills, and receive individualized support in their academic classes. They also take year-long math, English and science courses, with extra support from special education teachers, department leaders, multilingual learners program teachers and other professionals.”
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