School district report cards released

Berkeley County School District high school students scored their best academic results yet on an ACT standardized assessment. Those scores, as well as graduation rates and other testing results, for the 2015-2016 school year were part of the recently released South Carolina State Department of Education School District Report Card.

The Berkeley County School District (BCSD) rate for four-year graduation dipped to 81.7 percent compared to the 83.8 percent of the previous year, according to a BCSD press release. The state graduation rate is slightly above with an 82.6 percent rate, while the rate at Hanahan High School was 84.4.

However, BCSD has an 86.2 percent graduation rate for five-year graduation, compared to an 83.9 percent average rate at the state, according to the press release.

Since the BCSD is growing so fast, many students come from different states and districts with a range of academic schedules, said Dr. Kevin O’Gorman, the district’s chief academic officer. When this happens, it is the school’s responsibility to make sure the student has all the required credits on graduation. Although the goal is a four-year graduation, sometimes the graduation is delayed due to lack of credits.

The district students excelled on the job skill assessment, ACT WorkKeys, according to the press release. The assessment tests applied mathematics, reading for information, and locating information. Compared to the state average of 86.8 percent, 89.7 percent of Berkeley County 11th graders received a WorkKeys certification. On the ACT WorkKeys, Hanahan High School tested slightly higher than the district in each subject, according to the report card.

“It’s our best academic performance to date,” O’Gorman said. “Scores of the ACTs administered to juniors went up in every subject in every high school.”

O’Gorman said next year he anticipates the results in the 2017 report card will be surpassing the state in every subject. Some areas of focus for the future are on-time graduation, middle school math, and writing for all grades.

“[We are] moving in the right direction,” O’Gorman said.

The Daniel Island School soared in the South Carolina College and Career Ready Assessment, a test given to students in grades 3 through 8 in the Spring 2016. The examination assesses reading, English, math, and writing. In every area, the majority of the students were categorized under “Exceeds Expectations” or “Meets Expectations.” In English, 75.4 percent exceeded and met expectations, and in math 64.3 percent exceeded and met expectations.

At Cainhoy Elementary and Middle School, 25 percent of the students tested in English exceeded and met the expectation. In math, 27.4 percent of the students exceeded and met expectations.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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