School Grades Climb!

School grades climb
Ratings of all area districts show solid increase for '08

By Diette Courrégé
The Post and Courier
Friday, February 20, 2009

Ratings for Lowcountry school districts rebounded in 2008 and showed academic gains after consecutive years of sagging scores, according to results released early today by the state Department of Education. Download a 2005-08 summary table for all Lowcountry schools from the Post & Courier here: PDF Download.

Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester 2 and 4 school districts each boasted improved growth ratings, which compare students' test scores from one year to the next. Charleston and Dorchester 4 also improved their absolute ratings, which measures student performance against the goal of pushing South Carolina's achievement into the top half of the nation by 2010.

Statewide, more public school students attend schools rated "excellent," "good" or "average," from 65.6 percent in 2007 to 69.3 percent last year. State leaders touted that figure because the state's average rating correlates to the national average. "I think it does show that we do have traction in South Carolina for improvement," said Jim Rex, state superintendent of education.

But the results weren't all positive. The percentage of schools receiving the worst rating increased statewide, and a higher percentage of schools statewide earned worse ratings last year than the previous year.

Report card ratings were supposed to be released in November, but the company that scores the state's end-of-course exams made mistakes that caused a delay in releasing report cards.

The state report cards give schools and districts an absolute and growth rating ranging from excellent to at-risk. The state renamed the "unsatisfactory" rating this year to "at-risk." Absolute ratings evaluate the percentage of students meeting the state's standards on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, and growth ratings compare students' test scores from one year to the next.

A complicated formula based on test scores and high school graduation rates is used to calculate scores that are translated to ratings. The minimum score for each rating increases by one-tenth of a point every year, so schools that get better but not enough to meet the new score will have the same or worse rating.

Most local school districts attributed some improvement to increases in on-time graduation rates. The state requires stringent documentation of enrolled students, and a school's inability to identify what happened to students who leave means that student will count against the school's on-time graduation rate. The higher graduation rates come from high schools doing a better job tracking students and from programs such as credit recovery that help students make up failed courses, Rex said.

Charleston County Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley emphasized that 73 percent of district report cards improved, seven schools scored excellent absolute and growth ratings, and many schools had higher growth ratings because of efforts made to close the achievement gap. "We're pleased with the general results, but we're also well aware that we have pockets of schools that have not progressed," she said. Twenty-seven percent of district schools rate at-risk, and she said she's paying attention to those schools in budget decisions so they will not be set further back, she said. Complete 2008 report cards for all D10 schools are available from the State Department of Education.

Berkeley County School Interim Superintendent Archie Franchini said a number of factors came together to contribute to the district's higher growth rating, and good classroom instruction was among the top reasons. For its six schools that saw their ratings fall, officials will work with those principals to try to implement measures to improve their performance, he said. J.K. Gourdin Elementary was a bright spot in the district because it was the only "at-risk" school to improve to a "below average" rating. Its principal, Lorene Bradley, said in November that the school established goals for its test scores and strategies to get there. They talked about curriculum and expectations for students and teachers, they identified students who needed to make gains, and they worked together to accomplish their goals, she said.

Dorchester 2 Superintendent Joe Pye cautioned parents from placing too much emphasis on the rating system because it doesn't always reflect what's happening in schools. Although schools make gains, they might not clear the increasingly higher achievement standards hurdle, he said. The growth ratings for all but one district school slipped to either below average or at-risk, and that's a contradiction to the district's strong academic reputation. "It's frustrating," Pye said. "I still have a hard time understanding the formula they are using."

Rural Dorchester 4 Superintendent Jerry Montjoy said he was pleased that his district no longer had the label of at-risk, and looked forward to making more gains in the future. He spent more time this year trying to involve students in extracurricular activities to build self-worth and self-confidence that will have academic benefits. "I think morale is something we overlook too much in public education," he said.

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