Clover School District students improved on most state reading and math tests taken last spring and scored above the state average at every grade level and in every subject tested, according to results released by the South Carolina Department of Education.
The results cover SC READY, the annual English language arts and mathematics test given in grades three through eight, and the End of Course Examination Program, which measures performance in required high school courses. The scores feed into school and district report cards and are the primary public measure of academic performance in South Carolina.
Superintendent Sheila Quinn credited teachers with the gains.
“CSD educators are to be commended for the outstanding work they did last year,” Quinn said. “The focus they showed on middle school math and US History and the Constitution at the high school level is evident in these results. Teachers also applied the learning they’ve received in LETRS training, which brought about increased English Language Arts performance at nearly every grade level.”
Reading results
English language arts scores rose at five of the six tested grade levels, with gains ranging from 2.7 percentage points in fourth grade to 6.8 percentage points in eighth grade. Sixth grade was the exception, falling 6.8 percentage points to 64.6% of students meeting or exceeding expectations.
The district’s elementary grades cleared the state’s strategic goal of having at least 75% of students meet or exceed expectations. Fourth grade posted the district’s highest reading mark at 81.1%, followed by third grade at 78.8% and fifth grade at 78.6%. Seventh grade reached 72.9% and eighth grade 73.2%.
Statewide reading performance ranged from 56.3% in sixth grade to 65.5% in fourth grade. Clover’s margin over the state was widest in fourth grade at 15.6 percentage points and narrowest in sixth grade at 8.3 percentage points.
Math results
Elementary math scores held roughly flat, while middle school scores climbed sharply. Seventh grade rose 12.7 percentage points to 62.5%, and eighth grade rose 12.3 percentage points to 62.2%. Both grades had been below 50% the previous year.
Sixth grade math dropped 6.8 percentage points to 61.4%. Third grade improved slightly to 74.7%, fifth grade to 69.6%, and fourth grade slipped three tenths of a point to 70.2%.
The gap between Clover and the state was wider in math than in reading, reaching 20.7 percentage points in seventh grade, 20.6 in sixth grade and 20.5 in fifth grade. Statewide, fewer than half of students met or exceeded expectations in grades five through eight.
High school exams
On the End of Course Examination Program, the passing rate in United States History and the Constitution rose 3.94 percentage points to 74.98%, about 12.5 points above the state figure of 62.5%.
Biology fell 3.18 points to 81.24%, still more than 20 points ahead of the statewide rate of 60.91%. English 2 was essentially unchanged at 93.17%, down about two tenths of a point and 9.38 points above the state.
Career readiness
South Carolina students take three assessments in math, data and reading to qualify for the state’s Career Ready Credential. In Clover, 85.1% of students earned the credential, up 1.3 percentage points from the prior year and 12.9 points above the statewide rate of 72.2%.
The district serves students in Clover, Lake Wylie and surrounding communities in western York County. Full school by school and district results for every South Carolina district are posted on the state Department of Education website.
Source: Clover School District news release and South Carolina Department of Education assessment data.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
