State testing results for elementary and middle school students are in

COLUMBIA, SC – Standardized test scores are in for elementary and middle school students in South Carolina.

The Greenville County School District told 7 News Saturday they are more than satisfied after learning their state testing scores came back all above the state average.

“We were both incredibly pleased with the results of both SC PASS and SC READY,” said district spokesperson Beth Brotherton.

The SC PASS exam is a statewide test that assesses students in Science and Social Studies.

The SC READY exam does the same for English and Mathematics.

Results that came in Tuesday showed that in both tests, the state’s largest school district scored higher than those averages throughout the state, but also made strides overall, improving their scores from last year.

“Knowing that in all parts of the county and all grade levels, we’re making gains… that’s what we like to look at when when we see improvement and success,” said Brotherton.

Spartanburg has 7 school districts.

In 4 of them, more than half of students in each grade level met or exceeded expectations for both science and social studiees.

For Math and English, however, no district had all grades get more than 50% meeting those goals.

For example, only about a quarter of 7th grade students in District 7 met or exceeded standards in math.

The state average for 7th graders in that category was also below the 50% threshold, but still above the district’s avereage.

Pickens County saw large succeesses in both standardized tests with nearly every grade testing higher than the state average in all 4 subjects.

District 50 in Greenwood fell short of their goal this year, which was increasing results by 5% in English and Math for those meeting and exceeding expectations.

District 50 Spokesperson Jonathan Graves gave the following statement to 7 News:

“Greenwood School District 50 set lofty improvement goals of increasing by 5% the percentage of students in the Meets and Exceeds categories on the SC READY ELA and Math assessments at all grade levels. While we did not meet the 5% increase we did experience growth on ELA at all grade levels except sixth where we remained the same and in math we saw increases at grades 3,5,7 and 8. We realize assessments are one snap shot of student progress and so many factors go into helping students grow and reach their full potential. Our teachers are to be congratulated on their efforts to increase assessment results while always remembering to teach the whole child.”

Anderson District One Assistant Superintendent, Jane Harrison, also issued the following statement:

“We were very pleased with our test scores for 2017-2018. We saw improvement in every grade three through eight in ELA. Math scores improved in every grade except eighth.Improvement of this magnitude can only be realized through a team effort. I contribute the increase in scores to a supportive School Board that acts as each school’s biggest cheerleader, the instructional leadership of our administrators, the expertise of our teachers and the continuous professional development they have participated in and to the students that are engaged in learning. It is not just about a test but it is creating a learning environment everyday where students persevere, set goals and aim to do their best. I also believe with the implementation of 1:1 technology in 2013, our students were comfortable testing on a device they use everyday.”

To see how your district performed in both tests, click here: https://ed.sc.gov/data/test-scores/