South Carolina Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
South Carolina Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
One year into South Carolina’s ESSA plan, and just like a handful of other states, they’re proposing revisions that were submitted April 1st. With planning for the upcoming school year already on the horizon for district and school administrators, we’re evaluating the impact of recommended changes and curating a list of our best resources aligned to goals outlined by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the South Carolina ESSA plan.
Goal: Boost Academic Achievement
In South Carolina, academic achievement is strictly measured according to a levelled system that uses results from EOCEPs, SC READY, and SC-ALT assessments. Ambitious goals have been set that include ‘By 2035, 90% of students will score at Level 2 or higher in ELA and math’ and ‘By 2035, 70% of students will score at Level 3 or higher in ELA and math.’
Currently, South Carolina’s student success category is also focused on science and social studies success via SCPASS and EOCEPs performance as well as college and career readiness. Legislation is currently underway that proposes removing science and social studies scores from accountability measures and recommends eliminating standardized tests in social studies altogether.
As you consider your approach to supporting students, utilize the guides below to take a fresh approach to your instructional programs or refine your current practices.
Frequent, standards-based formative assessments are a critical piece of effective data-driven instruction. Our workbook provides a framework for implementing formative assessments throughout the lesson cycle. The planning forms and data-tracking worksheets can be used across multiple subjects and grade levels.
Online curriculum can open a world of college and career focused courses to students that their schools may not otherwise be able to offer, including Advanced Placement, CTE, SAT, ACT, or ACT WorkKeys assessment preparation. Our online curriculum guide discusses several different ways online curriculum can be used, and even includes a worksheet to guide the process of identifying a provider that meets your needs.
For a growing number of schools, a virtual implementation may help your school or district offer more flexible and expansive course options to serve populations in need. Use this workbook to evaluate if a virtual implementation is the best option for your school and get guidance on developing a program and selecting a digital provider.
Goal: Promote Student Growth
In South Carolina, growth is will be measured for students in grades 4-8 based on scores from the ELA and math SC READY exams. 50% of growth points will be awarded for all student progress, while the remaining 50% of points will be awarded for the progress of the bottom quintile of students. Consider blended and individualized learning approaches to meet students where they are. The three resources below will surely set you on the right path.
Personalized Learning Workbook
Personalized learning allows educators to meet the varying needs of all learners, improving learning outcomes. This workbook takes the guesswork out of personalized learning by providing a step-by-step plan from development to implementation.
Bring the best parts of online learning and traditional instruction together in a blended learning program. Blended programs come in many forms and enable scalable personalized learning. Use this workbook to get your district or school's blended learning program started.
It’s a well-known fact that a strong foundation in literacy is key to future academic success in any subject. This workbook evaluates the many facets of structuring an effective, research-based reading and language arts block and helps you select the appropriate technology tools to support your approach.
Goal: Drive English Language Proficiency
Currently, only 5 percent of South Carolina schools show that 70% or more of the ELs meet their annual progress to proficiency targets in English, and as a state, only 31% of ELs meet the annual progress to proficiency target. With growth targets clearly set, we’ve included tools and strategies for helping all students achieve growth.
This collection of blogs addresses topics like back-to-school strategies to support ELs, preparing ELs for high-stakes assessments, and more.
Special Populations Program Planning Worksheet
Use this worksheet to plan programs to address the needs of special populations of students.
Goal: Improve Graduation Rates
South Carolina earned a 2016 graduation rate of 82.6% and has set a 2026 target to reduce the 2017 number of students who do not graduate in four years by 50%. Make sure that your school has a credit recovery program in place so that all students can see a path toward graduation.
Our Credit Recovery workbook will show you how to set up a new program or enhance your current credit recovery offering for both learners on a four-year track.
Goal: Ensure College and Career Readiness
South Carolina strives to provide students with a variety of ways to develop and demonstrate their readiness for college and careers by meeting any number of multiple college/career readiness indicators. Plan a program that gives students flexible learning options that sets them up for ongoing success.
Use our CTE workbook to plan a new program or utilize it as a guide to augment your current one. CTE programs have been shown to increase engagement, improve outcomes for enrolled students, and support attainment of in-demand credentials.
Looking for online programs to help your school or district improve outcomes for all students? Check out Edmentum's suite of K-12 evidence-based assessments and digital curriculum and see why 8,000 districts in the nation partner with us.
This blog post was originally published on July 24, 2018.
