District’s review of test scores focuses on trend toward improvement – Coastal Observer

District’s review of test scores focuses on trend toward improvement – Coastal Observer

One year’s results from state standarized tests aren’t enough to give a full picture of the Georgetown County School District, officials say. “We’re not where we want to be yet. But if you look at those trends that have occurred over the past three years, even four years, those are huge leaps,” Superintendent Bethany Giles said. SCReady tests students in third through eighth grades on English and math. Grades four and six are also tested on science. The state Department of Education has a goal for 75 percent of students to test at or above grade level by 2030. In Georgetown County, 55.2 percent of students meet or exceed English standards, an increase of 8 points over last year, but below the state average of 61 percent. In math, 41.4 percent of district students meet or exceed standards. That’s 6.6 points below the state average, but a 4.4 point increase over last year. “I don’t know how the parents feel but I’m looking at that, and that is not where we need to be as a district,” Board Member Fallon Bordner said. Deputy Superintendent Sherri Forrest said change takes three to five years to show up in  the data. “But each year, you hope to see at least an uptick or evidence that what you have been working on is giving you a positive uptick even if it’s small,” she said. Forrest showed the board bar charts showing how the district’s test scores in English changed from 2023 to 2026. She reminded the board that this is the second year of new English standards, resources and a new assessment. “You will see some areas where we’ve been able to maintain, and you’ll see some areas, especially in the past two years, where we’ve been able to be on a nice upward trend,” she said. Only fourth grade scores declined this year. All grades showed improvement since 2023. Another chart showed the math scores. The state curriculum changed last year, she noted. Most grades improved over the four years, but third grade scores this year were below 2023. Forrest also shared district trend data on the state end-of-course high school exams from 2023-26.  In Algebra I, more than 45 percent of students met or exceeded standards last year. This year about 15 percent meet or exceed standards. The new state math standards replaced Algebra I with geometry in the class sequence for middle school, Forrest said.  “It isn’t because our students did not do as well. I want the public to understand that our test changed and the way we measured it changed,” said Board Member Patti Hammel. “It could have looked bleak if we didn’t look at that. It looks like we did a huge dip, and in fact, we didn’t do a huge dip. The way we measured it changed with the new test.” Forrest said 20 students took the assessment this year compared to 658 the year before. “Anytime you have that much or that little, it’ll move the data,” Forrest said. “That’s why looking at this work is important, but it is one piece of data.” Going forward, Forrest said she will dive into school-specific subgroup data to determine where each school needs additional support and “targeted professional learning.” Bordner wanted to know what that meant. Forrest explained that it isn’t just the subject matter where staff get training. “We’re targeting on the area that we believe, based on the data and us doing root-cause analysis, could be a barrier for our kids.” Board Member Eileen Johnson wanted to ensure teacher input is included in future changes. The teachers know their students best, even if they use unconventional methods, she said. “They’re the ones on the front lines,” Johnson said. “They know what works and what doesn’t work.” Officials emphasized teaching grade-level standards across the district. But that doesn’t mean everyone is doing the same thing, Forrest said. A group of second grade teachers essentially created their own curriculum guide for  the district’s reading initiative and shared it with others, she said. Forrest called that the “best of a teacher voice that you can get.”