SC releases 2013 Report Card Ratings and Stats

The SC Department of Education and the SC Education Oversight Committee, as part of the requirements of the Education Accountability Act of 1998, released report card ratings for schools and districts in South Carolina.  This release marks the second “report card” for South Carolina’s public schools.  The two report cards use varied methodology.  The ESEA report card, using methodology in a waiver to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, compares different cohorts of students (e.g., 2012 with 2013).  The EAA, which is released each November, looks at overall performance and improvement towards the goals established under state law for the same cohort of students during a two year period. The ratings for the state’s career centers, including Hamilton Career Center in Oconee County, were not available from the SC Department of Education. Oconee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas gives details.  “In the area of Absolute Performance, all schools in the School District of Oconee County maintained the rating they received in 2012. Twelve of the nineteen schools received ratings of “excellent” or “good” exceeding progress toward the SC goals; Seven schools received a rating of “average” for meeting the standards required to meet progress on the SC goals for student performance; and The School District of Oconee County received an absolute rating of “excellent.” In the area of Improvement/Growth, results were somewhat mixed: Seven schools improved or maintained ratings in this area; Six schools and the District received ratings of “excellent” or “good” in the area of growth; Seven schools received a rating of “average”; and Six schools did not meet improvement goals for 2013. The 2012 Report Card also provides valuable data about the schools and the District.  For instance, The District spends on average $10,120 per student (a low of $6,964 at Walhalla Elementary to a high of $10,179 at Tamassee-Salem Middle/High). The average teacher in the District has a salary of $49,484 and an attendance rate of 95.4%. The average student to teacher ratio in the District is 21:1 in core subject areas.  The four year graduation rate for the district is 80%. Students in the District attend school at a rate of 95.4%. Approximately 65% of the teachers in the District have an advanced degree.” This data is available on the School District of Oconee County website (www.oconee.k12.sc.us and check the “academic dashboard”.