SDOC 2017 Report Card shows District making Gains

The South Carolina Department of Education has recently released new accountability report cards for school districts. The School District of Oconee County (SDOC) is showing gains in areas of strategic focus. Superintendent Michael Thorsland stated, “As we have shared over the past months, our performance on state assessments is competitive, but we still have work to do to achieve our goal of being a top ten district. I am very pleased to see the progress we have made on other important indicators with the release of this report card.” The District continues to see gains in graduation rates (85%, up from 84.1%) and a reduction in the number of students dropping out (2.8%, down from 4.1%). Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Ginger Hopkins, noted, “Keeping students in school is a top priority. We can’t teach them if they aren’t with us. Getting them to graduation is our next priority. Then, to achieve our goal, we need to increase our rigor. With this in mind, I am pleased to see more students enrolling in Advanced Placement courses (26.7%, up from 23.7%) and having success in those courses (55%, up from 52.3%).” The percentage of students eligible for Life or Palmetto scholarships well exceeded the state average. And, the number of students participating in work-based experiences increased by more than 600%. These are important indicators of students’ readiness for college or career upon graduation. Complete report cards for the District and schools can be found at the State Department website at www.ed.sc.gov. The SDOC is an AdvancED accredited public school system serving students from pre-school through adult education. The SDOC mission is “partnering with families to develop responsible, productive citizens.”