Daniel Prince
All grades in Union County but 6th show improvements since last year
English Language Arts was a bright spot in the statewide testing data released by the SC Department of Education this week. Statewide, more students scored exceeds expectations this year than in 2018-2019, the year before the pandemic. The percentage of those meeting or exceeding expectations was slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels for 3rd and 4th grades but was higher in 5th-8th grades. All grades improved over last year’s results.
Superintendent Molly Spearman said, "The return to pre-pandemic scores in ELA is due, in large part, to the sense of urgency educators felt and the willingness of educators and lawmakers to act and implement support during and post-pandemic. We are not painting a rosy picture and will look to implement meaningful actions, knowing that we have work to do in areas like math and bridging achievement gaps. However, we also want to pause to thank our educators for the growth we already see and work that we know they will do to address the challenges we have ahead."
In Union County, scores were below the state average. The scores ranged from 4.2% of 8th graders exceeding expectations to 17.9% of 4th graders. Meets expectations scores in the district ranged from 16.4% of 4th graders to 26.1% of 8th graders. The overall percentage of those meeting or exceeding expectations in the district ranged from 24.7% of 6th graders to 35% of 3rd graders. 40% of 6th graders in the district did not meet expectations. 7th grade had the lowest percentage not meeting expectations, at 33.8%. All grades except for 6th improved on their percentage of students scoring meets or exceeds expectations compared to last year.
For individual schools, Monarch had the highest percentage of students in 3rd-5th grades scoring meets or exceeds expectations. Foster Park had the highest percentage scoring does not meet expectations. For middle school, Jonesville had higher percentages of 6th-8th graders scoring meets or exceeds expectations. More Sims 6th and 7th graders scored does not meet expectations, but more Jonesville 8th graders scored does not meet expectations.
Compared to last year, Buffalo improved on its percentage of students scoring meets and exceeds expectations in all grades. Foster Park’s 3rd and 5th graders scored higher than the previous year, while their 4th graders scored lower. Jonesville showed improvements in all grades except 6th. Monarch 3rd graders scored lower than last year, while the 4th and 5th grades scored higher. Like Jonesville, Sims 6th graders scored lower this year than last, while 7th and 8th grades improved on the previous year.
You can see all the test scores at ed.sc.gov/data and click on test scores.