What's New

2004-05 End-of-Course Test Results

The South Carolina Department of Education has released the results of End-of-Course tests administered during the 2004-05 school year to public school students in the “gateway” courses: Algebra, English, Biology, and Physical Science.  This was the first year that the end-of-course tests were administered statewide in English, Biology, and Physical Science.  Tests for Algebra were first administered statewide in 2003-04.  End-of-course tests are mandated by the 1998 Education Accountability Act in benchmark and gateway courses: English/Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.  State Board of Education regulations state that “end-of-course tests are administered to all public school students who take a gateway courses for which credit can be applied toward the requirements for a high school diploma, regardless of the grade in which a student takes the course.” Access statewide and district test results clicking here.  

Standard and Poor’s SchoolMatters Analysis of States’ Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Standard and Poor’s conducted a demographic analysis of states’ performance scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).  This study is another product of the company’s education initiative, known as SchoolMatters.

Currently, samples of students in all states are tested in reading and math in grades 4 and 8.  Data on South Carolina’s performance on NAEP in reading and math for grades 4 and 8 are found on this site under the Education category labeled “Student Achievement and Accountability.” 

Using linear regression techniques on state-level NAEP data, Standard and Poor’s compared actual state performance to expected performance, given that some states such as South Carolina have higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students than other states.  In so doing, Standard and Poor’s identified states that outperformed expectations, performed as expected, and performed below expectations.  Fourteen states, including South Carolina, were identified as “out-performers;” that is, their scores on NAEP assessments exceeded what would have been expected given their higher concentrations of economically “at-risk” children. Eleven states, including South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Texas, exceeded performance expectations in 2003 and 2005 at the proficient level in either fourth-grade or eighth-grade reading or math.  Ten states, including, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, New York, and Texas exceeded statistical expectations in either fourth-grade or eighth-grade reading or math at the lower basic and above NAEP standard.  No state exceeded statistical expectations in both grades and on both subjects.  South Carolina exceeded expectations on the fourth-grade and eighth-grade math assessment. 

Visit the Standard and Poor’s SchoolMatters site at http://www.schoolmatters.com/.

To view the actual report, Leveling the Playing Field 2005: Identifying Outperforming and Underperforming States on the NAEP in Demographic Context, visit this link. 

Current Data on the Economy 

Current data, as well as useful historical data, on South Carolina’s employment status can be found at the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Web site at http://stats.bls.gov/eag/eag.sc.htm. 

Economic Indicators.gov is a helpful Web site hosted by the Economics and Statistics Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. It provides timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. See http://www.economicindicators.gov/. 

Additionally, the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, Division of Research, provides timely data and information on the national and state economies. See http://mooreschool.sc.edu/moore/research/. 

Mike Daniels with the S.C. Employment Commission prepares a monthly economic report (in PowerPoint) on South Carolina’s economy. It's a collection of monthly graphs highlighting economic conditions in South Carolina by county, workforce investment area, and by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Additionally, there are a few slides highlighting economic conditions in the U.S. If you would like to be added to Mr. Daniels’ distribution list, please contact him at mdaniels@sces.org.

Current Data on Birth Rates Among Teenagers Ages 15-19 

Publicly Funded Pre-Kindergarten Programs Serving Four-Year-Olds in South Carolina

South Carolina is home to a variety of publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs serving four-year-olds. With a great deal of national attention now focused upon the benefits of high quality early childhood interventions, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness and the South Carolina Department of Education's Office of Early Childhood recently engaged in a collaborative effort to depict resources and access across public-funding streams.  Data on the four-year old population in South Carolina and the estimated public spending for programs for these children can be viewed by clicking here.

60th Anniversary - SCI Project

Marking the 60^th anniversary of the Institute, we are pleased to present the newly developed South Carolina Indicators (SCI) Project . SCI is the culmination of months of research and preparation. SCI is a one-stop Web site for reliable indicators on how South Carolina is performing in relation to key topical or policy areas—education, the economy, the environment, public safety, public health, social welfare, culture and recreation, and government administration. 

In all, SCI identifies 91 indicators. These indicators were selected after having consulted expert opinion and after having studied generally accepted indices used to gauge the status and position of South Carolina’s performance in relation to historical trends and state rankings. SCI is modeled after top comprehensive key indicator systems from select states, cities and regions across the United States. These include Minnesota Milestones, Oregon Benchmarks, Baltimore’s Vital Signs, and Buffalo-Niagara’s State of the Region. 

SCI will be regularly updated and perfected. In addition to the indicators and accompanying analysis, SCI will include briefing and white papers and various reports that will enhance our understanding of South Carolina’s progress in education, the economy, and the other key policy areas of the project domain. Additionally, the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research plans to facilitate forums and dialogues that will examine and explore issue areas associated with SCI

We welcome comments and suggestions from government officials, legislators, and the general public. Direct comments to scip@mailbox.sc.edu.