EOC policy and budgetary recommendations focused on improving academic achievement
EDITOR’S NOTE: The EOC held a full meeting December 11, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 433, Blatt Building. Recommendations to the budget were made at this meeting.
Columbia – South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) members presented their budget recommendations for the 2007-08 fiscal year this week, including proposing new initiatives which invest in public choice innovation schools, improve high school graduation rates, and improve fiscal efficiency of public schools.
Committee members recommended an increase of $32 million in Education Improvement Act (EIA) programs that reward schools making significant progress and provide resources to underperforming schools. Over 35 percent of South Carolina schools (390 of 1106) received an absolute rating of Below Average or Unsatisfactory on the 2006 School Report Cards, an increase of 103 schools from the 2005 release.
“The rating system is built upon an aspiration that South Carolina’s student achievement is to be ranked in the top half of states nationally by the year 2010,” stated Harold Stowe, EOC’s Chairman. “This year’s ratings indicate that student achievement is lagging behind the aspiration.”
The EOC recommendations have four main objectives: 1) to improve student academic achievement; 2) to improve high school graduation rates; 3) to continue the implementation of the Education Accountability Act (EAA); and 4) to improve fiscal efficiency of public schools.
Highlights of the proposal, which now heads to the General Assembly and the Governor for consideration during next year’s legislative session, include:
• Public Choice Innovation Schools. The committee recommended an increase of over $2 million to invest in innovative public-private partnership schools that demonstrate leadership in instructional, administrative, or personnel practices yielding strong students academic achievement. The EOC has endorsed this proposal to create public-private partnership schools whereby students scoring Below Basic or students attending schools with an absolute performance rating or Unsatisfactory or Below Average could attend these public choice innovation schools.
• Increased funding for Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement. SC is in the top half of states in both the percentage of students participating in and passing Advanced Placement courses. The EOC recommends an increase of over $2 million to improvements in the academic performance of SC’s brightest students.
• Professional Development of Teachers. To assist teachers in linking instruction and lesson plans to the standards and to any state-adopted readiness assessment tests, developing classroom assessments consistent with the standards and state assessments, and analyzing the results of state assessments and formative assessments needed to modify instructional standards.
• Technical Assistance. A minimum allocation of $250,000 would be given to schools with an absolute rating of Unsatisfactory. Schools with an absolute rating of Below Average would receive a minimum allocation of $75,000. To provide technical assistance to the 390 schools rated Below Average and Unsatisfactory in 2006, $32 million in additional funds were requested.
The committee also recommended an increase of $1 million to assist eleven schools that improved their absolute rating from Below Average to Average or Good, in order to build capacity in these improving schools.
• Middle School Certification. To provide an alternate route to middle level certification for teachers who are prepared and certified to teach students at another grade level; this alternative teacher certification program addresses the shortage of quality certified teachers in middle schools.
“Bringing about real change for students and schools requires a concerted effort from communities and all areas of government to take ownership in the education challenges that we face,” stated Stowe. “We must target our resources effectively to make certain all of South Carolina’s students can achieve successfully at high academic levels.”
Also included within the committee’s recommendations are proposals to improve the high school graduation rate and improve the fiscal efficiency of public schools, including:
• Funding to expand programs for adults aged 17 to 21 who did not earn a high school diploma;
• Funding for certifying teachers in career clusters and of certifying students on career tests;
• Requiring non-county school districts with a student enrollment of less than 7,500 students to consolidate administrative services with other school districts for implementation the following year.
According to Stowe, “The overall intent of this proposal is to deter increases in operation costs with the mission of improving the quality of operational services, reducing administrative costs and focusing school district leadership on instruction and instructional support.”
Established by the EAA, the EOC is an independent, non-partisan, 18-member legislative committee made up of educators, business persons, and elected officials who serve by virtue of their elected position or by appointment of the legislature or governor. It bears responsibilities for the development and improvement of SC’s educational accountability system and for making recommendations to ensure the continuous improvement of schools.
-30-