Batesburg/Leesville, SC 10/18/2023 - Over the course of the last school year, South Carolina schools have improved in nearly all major academic subjects. Across the state, 22.5 percent of schools received an overall rating of Excellent, the highest rating in the state’s education accountability system, which is nearly a two percent increase from 2022.
S.C. students have shown especially strong improvements in English Language Arts (ELA) with 53.9% meeting or exceeding expectations, up from 46.6% in 2022 and 41.7% in 2018. State Superintendent Ellen Weaver has made reading a top priority for students across the state and says South Carolina plans to invest even more in early literacy than in years past. Experts have found that by the third grade, students’ reading levels are a strong indicator of their future success. Students who are not reading at or above grade level by this point in their education are frequently unable to meet milestones later in life and enroll in college at lower rates.
Overall, math scores across the state are also trending in the right direction, however, progress is not being made at quite the same rate as in ELA. Although K-12 math scores are improving as a whole, high school level math students have struggled significantly since the pandemic. For example, in 2018, 60.5% of high school algebra students made a “C” or better compared to only 41.8% in 2023.
Another challenge pointed out by this year’s “National Assessment for Education Progress” lies in the relationship between students who graduate and those who are considered to be ready for what’s next. According to this years’ data, 84% of students are graduating from high school, but only 29% are college and career ready. The Education Oversight Committee (EOC) noted that S.C. must work to ensure graduates are college and career ready.
More information from the 2023 School Report Cards can be found here.
