South Carolina
Sapphire Hall
Fast Facts
- 21-22 Total public school student population – 777,111
- Total state public education budget- 5.4 billion
- Public School Attendance – 735,998 Students
- Private school attendance – 68,295 students
What Is Pupil Expenditure?
Pupil Expenditure: (A) the aggregate current expenditures of all local educational agencies in the State; divided by (B) the total number of children in average daily attendance for whom such agencies provided free public education.
What is the average amount pupil get in South Carolina?
$6,773 state
What is the average national per pupil expenditure?
$586.4 billion
- Student demographics (race/ethnicity, English Language Learners, poverty rates) – Information to Public Schools
(Revenue per pupil reported by School District – fiscal year 2021-2022. South Carolina Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://ed.sc.gov/finance/financial-services/student-data/revenue-per-pupil-reported-by-school-district-fiscal-year-2021-2022/)
Accountability Measures ( Testing Portfolios Growth)
In South Carolina there are a total of 9 state assessments. The state assessment that will be displayed below is South Carolina READY. This exam is unique to South Carolina and its a very important exam because it determine the track the student is put on but also the status of the school.
South Carolina Ready
The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessment (SC READY) program is a statewide assessment in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics administered to students in grades 3-8. It focuses on making sure students are understanding the basic academic concepts being taught in the curriculum.
* Most subjects that are assessed focus on core content for example science, math, English, and social studies.
* There is a lot of emphasis put on this test by the State
Students who do not do well on state exams are usually held back or put on different graduation tracks. There are multiple tracks for students who do not perform up to standards, for example, the certificate program. If a student is not performing well in school instead of a high school diploma they may receive a certificate that holds less weight than a high school diploma.
If a school is not performing well oftentimes that school will be shut down or evaluated to see where there can be an improvement. This also applies to administration and teachers if there are performance issues or a certain amount of complaints about faculty members they will be evaluated. In certain cases, teachers and administration will be fired ( which is easy to do because South Carolina is right to work state).
All 9 State and Federal exams in South Carolina
– Press on the Link to see the most recent data from these exams
ACCESS Test Scores – (2021 data) ACCESS
The ACT Test Scores – (2017 data) The ACT
ACT aspire Test Score – (2015 data) ACT Aspire
ACT World Key Test Scores- ( 2017 data) ACT World
End of Course Examination Score – (2021) End Of Course
High School Assessment Program – (2014) HSAP
Ready to Work Test Scores – (2021) Ready To Work
SC READY – (2021) SC Ready
South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards – (2021) SCPASS
(“South Carolina College-and-Career Ready Assessments (SC Ready).” South Carolina Department of Education, https://ed.sc.gov/tests/middle/sc-ready/.)
Graduation requirements ( High School)
Graduation Rate – 81.1%
(“High School Courses and Requirements.” South Carolina Department of Education, https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/.)
Common Core / Next Generation Science Standards
- Common Core standards were adopted in 2010
- “new set of state science standards for South Carolina’s public schools was approved by the South Carolina state board of education on May 11, 2021”
(Ed.sc.gov. https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/science/standards/south-carolina-college-and-career-ready-science-standards-2021-approved/.)
How many Charter School are in South Carolina?
70 charter schools
Charter School Enrollment
(K-12 School Districts – US News. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/districts.)
Fast Fact: Teachers
- Average Teacher Salary ( last record of this is 2018) -$50,050 usd a year
- There is no teachers union because South Carolina is right to work state
- Teacher evaluations appear to be determined by the county rather than the state
Vouchers
(Important News Story)
Currently South Carolina’s Voucher program is in a confused state, however there are efforts to create a voucher program that creates equity.
The Break Down
A large number of students in South Carolina are poor. To fix this issue the senate proposed that the money set aside for each pupil in public schools be given to low income students ( as a voucher). This will allow low income students to use use the money they are given for private education. This can help remove them out of impoverished schools.
Students do not have to use this money only on attending a private school. It can be used for technology, instructional material etc.
This bill has not passed and has a large chance of not being passed as everyone is not bound to agree on this effort.
Check out the link for more information!
Poverty, Vouchers, and Private Schools
Prompt: Based on the data you’ve collected, why do inequalities persist in your state?/ What evidence did you see of the state addressing or overcoming inequities?
Answer :
Within South Carolina, 60.85% of students are in poverty. To be considered an impoverished student you must fall within these brackets: transient, in foster care, homeless, or have been Medicaid-eligible or qualified for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Black, Hispanic, and White students make up the majority of that poverty. Because many students are poor they are dependent on schools not just for education but for support, food, and necessities. However, schools only have so much money for each pupil and can only give so much to an impoverished student. Also, if these students are not performing well on state-mandated testing, for example, South Carolina Ready then the school the student attends is at risk of being shut down.
The main way South Carolina is trying to combat this issue is through the voucher program described above. The program will give poor students their public school money to find better opportunities elsewhere. This can be great for impoverished students because it can help them get the education or other resources they may need. However, this can cause issues because there is a high chance that all students will not get this opportunity. It also does not solve the issue regarding bad or inadequate public education. With all this said, this change can help many students and is a good immediate fix for the student poverty that plagues South Carolina.
Prompt: Describe and analyze one particular trend or education-specific event in your state. / Make sure to contextualize this trend or event within the big picture you’ve created from your data analysis.
Answer :
Throughout South Carolina, many racial inequities affect the quality of education, especially for black and brown students. The history of segregation is central in regards to that issue and relates to the access and opportunities students will have access to. Although race and economic disparities in education take place around the United States South Carolina is 8th in poverty and most of the poverty affects black and brown students.
The South Carolina Ready state testing is a big factor in the type of educational track students will be put on. Many students of color do not perform well on these exams which otherwise affects their educational track. These students will be put in remedial classes as a result of their scores. These low-level classes put students down a dangerous educational track. For example, students can be put on the School to Prison pipeline and Certificate program mentioned on the website. These programs cause inequities and do not give students a fair chance and it begins with state-mandated testing. These tracks are very popular for students to be on because the lack of help causes students to perform poorly. The reality is there is no immediate cure. The best way to help black and brown students perform better and have better access to quality education is to provide financial recourses.
Something the data also shows is that many black and brown students get to attend charter schools. However, a charter school does not align with a great education. Often black and brown charter schools are struggling to keep funding thus they can not give students what they need (especially in South Carolina a state with a long history of racism).
Citations
“High School Courses and Requirements.” South Carolina Department of Education, https://ed.sc.gov/districts-schools/state-accountability/high-school-courses-and-requirements/.
“Home.” South Carolina Department of Education, https://www.ed.sc.gov/.
K-12 School Districts – US News. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/districts.
SC Lawmakers Focused on Passing School Choice Expansion | the State. https://www.thestate.com/news/local/education/article257212362.html.
“South Carolina College-and-Career Ready Assessments (SC Ready).” South Carolina Department of Education, https://ed.sc.gov/tests/middle/sc-ready/.
Ed.sc.gov. https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/science/standards/south-carolina-college-and-career-ready-science-standards-2021-approved/.
Revenue per pupil reported by School District – fiscal year 2021-2022. South Carolina Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://ed.sc.gov/finance/financial-services/student-data/revenue-per-pupil-reported-by-school-district-fiscal-year-2021-2022/