The South Carolina State Department of Education has released the annual school and district Report Card ratings.

The State’s rating system raises the bar for all schools each year. Up to five data points are used to rate a school’s performance. The growth rate is the difference in the absolute rating from year to year.

On the 2008 South Carolina School Report Card, Fairfield Central High School (FCHS) leads the other district schools, even when facing higher state requirements for the absolute rating.

FCHS has moved up in its Absolute Rating from Below Average to Average.

The School District of Fairfield County’s growth rate increased from at-risk to average.

This is the highest growth rate obtained by the district since the 2004 report card. Fairfield Middle School, Kelly Miller Elementary School, and Geiger Elementary School showed increases in growth ratings.

Additionally, Fairfield Central High School and Fairfield Career and Technology Center sustained a growth rating of excellent.

“We are inspired by our schools and students, who continue to show growth,” said Fairfield County Superintendent Dr. Samantha Ingram.

“The current South Carolina report card status of

Fairfield County did not take place over night. For the past eight years our district has had an absolute rating of at-risk, unsatisfactory, or below average. During my first year as superintendent our growth rate increased from at risk to average, but we realize major changes are needed to increase and sustain our absolute rating.”

“We are extremely proud of the students, faculty and staff, parents, and administration of Fairfield Central High School,” said Dr. Ingram. “Achieving an excellent growth rating for two consecutive years is the result of hard work, determination, and intervention based on student needs.”

“With the support of the board of trustees, strategic planning committee, and the community, we restructured two of the schools where academic growth has been stagnant,” Dr. Ingram said. “In order to improve as a district, and sustain improvements, educational reform in Fairfield County must take place. The Fairfield Magnet School and Gordon Odyssey Academy are only the tip of the iceberg. Our students are our most precious commodity. As educational leaders we must face brutal facts, make changes, and sustain improvements to ensure a quality education for each and every child. As a district, we do not like our absolute rating being in the lower quadrant of the state.”

“It’s a mixed message,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “On the plus side, we saw improvement for most schools because of higher test scores. High school improvement was particularly impressive, not only due to their test scores but also due to their improved on-time graduation rates.”

“But at the same time, it’s disappointing to see more schools struggling on the low end of the scale,” Rex said.

“Nearly all of these schools serve extremely high concentrations of children living in poverty, and we have to get more creative in how we help them. This is a national problem, not just a South Carolina problem. And poverty levels are worsening, not getting better.”

The state’s mathematical rating system raises the bar for all schools each year. Rating formulas based on student achievement levels are set by the Education Oversight Committee, created by the General Assembly to guide implementation of South Carolina’s Education Accountability Act. Indexes – numbers derived from those formulas – determine school ratings. Also included in the state report card are growth ratings which rate the progress made from one year to the next.