rss
mobile
Feeds
Of the district's 27 schools that were rated, 16 were given an overall rating of "below average" or "unsatisfactory." That's an increase from last year, when 11 schools posted those results.
Each year the state ranks schools on their progress toward the state's goal of ranking among the top half of the nation in student achievement by 2010.
An "average" rating means the school is on target to meet that goal. Since report cards are based primarily on test scores that have been known for some time, Beaufort County School District officials were not surprised by the ratings.
The district as a whole received an average rating, the same as the past five years.
Eleven of the district's schools also snagged an average or better rating this year, down from 15 schools in 2005. In southern Beaufort County, those schools were:
• Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School
• Michael C. Riley Elementary School
• Bluffton Elementary School
• Okatie Elementary School
Statewide, report card ratings also slipped, with 60 percent of the schools scoring average or better, down from 65 percent in 2006.
"We have too many students performing below expectations and failing to graduate from high school in four years," said Jim Rex, state superintendent of education. "It's a wake-up call to focus on key priorities that can make a difference."
The ratings are based on a mathematical formula devised by the state Education Oversight Committee. Standardized test scores are the main factors in determining the ratings.
Elementary and middle school scores come from the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, while high school scores come from High School Assessment Program exams, graduation rates and other criteria.
The rating system for the report cards raises the bar for schools each year, which is partly why some schools saw their ratings drop, Rex said.
"Our accountability system's increasing performance targets make good ratings harder to achieve," Rex said in a statement. "Schools have to improve significantly each year or see their report card ratings decline.
"This year's relatively flat PACT scores played a big role in these results."
And while several Beaufort County schools saw their overall ratings slip, district officials pointed to seven schools that did a better job at boosting test scores this year.
Those schools received better grades on their "improvement rating," which compares student test scores from one year to the next. As a result of those boosts, the district saw its improvement rating increase from below average to average.
"Despite the bright spots, challenges abound," Beaufort County schools superintendent Valerie Truesdale said in a statement. "While we celebrate our points of progress, we are simultaneously focusing on our opportunities for improvement."
