South Carolina School Report Cards
Below is the link to our School Report Card, released November 29, 2018 by the State Department of Education. Based on a number of factors, each school in the state has been rated as excellent, good, average, below average, or unsatisfactory.
These report cards are very different from past report cards in our state. The new report cards factor in multiple data points, test scores and surveys. The report attempts to measure a school’s academic achievement, student progress, college and career readiness and school climate. The reports will also include data on English Learners Progress, Student Safety, and Financial information. High School reports will factor in graduation rates, though the formula for determining the graduation rate has changed slightly from past years.
For the first time in South Carolina, NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) scores will be used to help determine schools’ ratings. NAEP tests students in every state in fourth grade and eighth grade in math, reading, science, and writing. The percentage of schools ranked in each category (from unsatisfactory to excellent) will align to the State’s 2015 NAEP results, so about 15 percent of schools in South Carolina will be rated “excellent,” 20 percent will be rated “good,” 35 percent will be rated “average,” 20 percent will be “below average,” and 10 percent will be “unsatisfactory.”
Along with the new rating system, the report cards feature several new pieces of data, including Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS). EVAAS measures student academic growth year-after-year. EVAAS measures student academic position in relation to his/her peers from one-year to another. Growth among lowest performing 20% of students counts double toward each school’s report card.
If you have any questions or concerns related to our school’s ratings, feel free to contact our principals via email or phone.
GCS Offers Emergency Text Alerts Through School Messenger
Due to changes in telecommunications laws Greenville County Schools (GCS) is now able to send emergency text messages to parents through the school messenger system if their listed home phone number is text capable. If you are a parent who would like to receive emergency texts and currently have a landline listed as your home number please fill out the form below and return it to your child’s school.
· Formulario de alerta de emergencia
GCS does not send phone messages to families late at night or early in the morning, so a last-minute closing decision, especially one made early in the morning, is sometimes missed. Texting parents provides a less intrusive way to send emergency messages during these hours.
Though we have been using a text message system called @gcsalerts through Twitter, that system has been less than reliable and is dependent on parents opting in and having push notifications set properly on their phone. We will continue to use @gcsalerts as a communication redundancy.
As always, the GCS website, social media platforms, and local media will be used to help disseminate emergency messages.
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act – COPPA