From the worst graduation rates in the country to pitiful SAT scores to the “Corridor of Shame” to Miss Teen S.C. Lauren Caitlin Upton, it’s difficult to find an adjective to adequately describe the stagnant state of public education in South Carolina. So it shouldn’t come as to much of a surprise that the Department of Education’s 2007 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results, which were released Tuesday, showed that not one single school district in the state met federal yearly progress targets. That’s none, nada, zip, zilch.
Almost as bad, only 37 percent of state schools managed to meet the AYP mark.
A product of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, AYP is the minimum amount of progress schools and districts are expected to meet each year. The goal under NCLB is that all students score proficient or higher in English and math by 2014.
For South Carolina elementary schools, AYP data is based on scores from the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). Along with PACT scores, high school graduation rates and elementary and middle school attendance rates are factors in AYP for school districts.
In a press release, state Education Superintendent Jim Rex commended educators for their hard work, but warned that next year’s results will likely be even more dismal. That’s because the bar to meet AYP will be raised once again, which may make it virtually unrealistic for schools in this state to meet it since our measure of proficiency is set so high.
“NCLB requires 100 percent proficiency, and that isn’t going to happen,” Rex said in a press release “On top of that, it rewards states for lowering their expectations for students and schools. The only states that ultimately will escape federal sanctions will be those that set the bar an inch off the floor.” [Spartanburg Herald Journal]
Wow Jim, what a great message: “We suck really bad and, under my watch, it’s only going to get worse.” But in his defense, there’s really nothing he can do… he’s just oversees all public education in this state.
Regardless, we need to really get this education mess under control because we’re running out of banner images.
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UPDATE: FITSNews notes that South Carolina”leads the nation in ‘dropout factories.’” Even more gooder news!
Sphere: Related ContentThis entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am and is filed under Around the state. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
WHAT WE MUST DO TO CORRECT THE TERRRIBLE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN SC. IS DO WHAT GT CTY DID. WE EXTENDED THE SUP CONTRAC FOR 2 YEARS WHICH DID NOT EXPIRE FOR ANOTHER YEAR, AND WE GAVE HIM A $25,OOO.OO RAISE
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