An Introduction to the South Carolina Education Report Card
South Carolina is required by federal and state law to create annual report cards for the public with key data about how students and schools are doing.
Background & History
Why the Delay? This hiatus occurred to allow for SC to join what was once two accountability systems for schools: one federal, and one state. The joint system was approved by the SC Education Oversight Committee and was submitted to the US Dept. of Education for approval.
The South Carolina School Report Cards allow parents and others to see how schools are improving toward meeting the Transformational Goals the state has set. Click here to learn about those transformational goals.
School Ratings System
Why the Ratings Exist
The words used to rate schools have been extensively debated in SC, as in other states. With the joint accountability system, the SC General Assembly chose to rate schools using the following terms and definitions which are established in state law. This ratings system provides parents, teachers and stakeholders a simple way to evaluate overall whether a particular school or system is exceeding, meeting or not meeting the criteria required in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Understanding the Ratings
Each school will receive an overall Rating and each rated indicator will receive a separate rating. To learn more about how each of the indicator Ratings is calculated, click here for our parent-friendly guide.
What This Means
Schools receive Ratings for individual indicators as well as an Overall School Rating. Much like student grades, student indicators are rated based on five levels of performance. The highest performance level is a Rating of “Excellent” while the lowest level of performance is “Unsatisfactory.”
The Rating Scale
Excellent | School performance substantially exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. |
Good | School performance exceeds the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. |
Average | School performance meets the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. |
Below Average | School performance is in jeopardy of not meeting the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. |
Unsatisfactory | School performance fails to meet the criteria to ensure all students meet the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. |