District of Calhoun County Public Schools Narrative:
The Calhoun County School District is continuing its focus on "Teaching and Learning". We are proud to develop students with World Class Skills in conjunction with the South Carolina Graduate Profile. Each of our district schools will soon become Transform SC institutions. This initiative keeps us focused on constantly improving.
We encourage excellence from students as our teachers are dedicated to providing them with quality instructional experiences. We are extremely proud that starting the 2019-2020 school year, the Calhoun County Honors Academy and Career Pathways Academic Program has been created. This initiative will allow students to enroll in dual credit courses and pursue the Associate of Arts Degree through Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College. Our students are given an array of opportunities to participate in clubs, athletics, science fairs, Montessori instruction, band competitions, CATE, Middle College, the arts, STEM Initiatives, field trips and other opportunities designed to enhance their learning process.
The district's digital device initiative has been very successful and will be entering its fourth year. Each of our students in grades K-12 are now equipped with devices that allow for blended instruction. The use of the devices have tremendously enhanced our classroom experiences. Our teachers have been equipped with the latest technology equipment and the professional development (PD) for mastery and strategies to promote teaching and project based learning. We utilize early release Tuesdays for students to be able to engage staff in PD for best practices through professional learning communities (PLCs). Our students are enrolled in career courses, JROTC and teacher cadets. We continue to participate in a Gear-Up Grant that prepares students in grades seventh through their first year of college. We are now preparing rising 12th grade students to succeed in postsecondary education.
As a school district, we are fortunate to have involved parents, many business partners and a supportive School Board. The district's focus on rigor has resulted in steady increases on standardized tests to include ACT and SAT. The dropout rate is less than .2% and a graduation rate of approximately 89.3%. Additionally, the class of 2019 claimed over 2.6 million in scholarship offers. Calhoun County Public Schools are dedicated to providing quality education for every child. We embrace the Profile of the SC Graduate as we empower all students to compete and succeed in an ever changing and global society.
Empower-Compete-Succeed
Dr. Steve A. Wilson, Superintendent
