GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — The South Carolina Department of Education released state, district and school report cards for the 2020-2021 school year. The report cards, which include data from springtime state-level testing, show a loss in learning rates across the board.
To view your school’s, district’s or the state’s report card, click here.
The data suggests that younger learners struggled the most with last year’s teaching methods. State education leaders say third graders, who overall struggled the most, were frequently two to three months behind where they should have been in the classroom.
“It’s not so much learning loss because so many of them never got the instruction to lose it,” Sec. of Education Molly Spearman said. “It’s more about us being very focused, prioritizing the priority standards that need to be taught at these grades.”
Citing incomplete data and testing limitations, the state cautions against comparing testing data from 2020-2021 with years prior.
However, the state does plan on using the data to make plans to address the learning gap.
“Preliminary data prepared us for what was coming, and thanks to federal funds, our districts will now have access to resources unlike ever before that we believe will help produce historic achievement for our students,” David Mathis, SCDE’s Deputy Superintendent of College and Career Readiness, said. “Districts developed Academic Recovery Plans after carefully analyzing assessment results and have actionable goals and strategies in place designed to increase student achievement.”
