The report cards measure the school’s progress toward the SC Performance Goal, which states that by 2010 the state’s student achievement will be ranked in the top half of the states nationally.
The results for Fairfield County Schools are as follows:
(See accompanying chart for definitions of school rating terms.)
In a prepared statement, Fairfield County Superintendent Samantha Ingram wrote, “As a District, we are pleased with our overall increases or sustained improvement ratings from the 2006 - 2007 Report Card.
Ingram went on to say, “We are extremely proud of Fairfield Central High School. The school had a first attempt High School Assessment Program passage rate of 68.4 percent. ... This percentage is three percentage points higher than other schools throughout South Carolina with similar demographics to Fairfield Central High.
“On the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). our percent of proficient and advanced students is lower than state averages. With our 2007 - 2008 district - wide initiatives, we are aiming to meet or exceed the state average on the four subtests of the PACT.”
Performance on PACT and HSAP are factors which determine the ratings of a school.
South Carolina
State Report Card ratings for 2007 show an increase in the number of schools and school districts rated below average or unsatisfactory.
Seventy - four percent of schools maintained or improved their ratings, while 26 percent went down. Seventeen school districts were rated unsatisfactory, up from 11 in 2006.
The state’s mathematical rating system raises the bar for all schools each year. Ratings formulas are set by the Education Oversight Committee, which was created by the General Assembly to guide implementation of SC’s Education Accountability Act.
Another factor affecting report card ratings, according to State Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex is poverty.
“Poverty is a grim fact of life in most South Carolina classrooms,” Rex said. “This year more than half our schools had 70 percent of their students living in poverty. One in every five schools has an enrollment with more than 90 percent of the students in poverty.
“These are sobering statistics. Yes, high - poverty schools can be successful, but they face greater challenges and require greater resources.”
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