Pageland Elementary School is helping all students develop the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing an engaging and challenging curriculum to promote student growth. Critical thinking is a key component in developing these world class skills as outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Pageland Elementary strives daily to provide rigorous quality instruction through critical thinking for all students. One means of achieving this is by utilizing the newly adopted Houghton Mifflin Harcourt “Into Reading” series. This series was adopted in collaboration with the Palmetto Literacy Project and addresses word study, comprehension, oral reading fluency, etc. In addition, assessments such as Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), Fountas and Pinnell, class assessments, math benchmark tests, Amira, and current research are utilized to gain insight into student progress and to effectively plan instruction. By using these tools, teachers can plan small group instruction to address specific areas of need for individual students. Classroom teachers, along with the literacy coach, planned differentiated, small group lessons to meet the rigor of our state standards. Professional development and/or planning in reading and writing was held throughout the year to assist teachers in implementing these units. In addition, RISE was implemented as a means of supporting our struggling readers. In addition to reading intervention, a math interventionist was a welcome addition to our staff. This interventionist utilized MAP data to meet the needs of many third and fourth grade students. Communication is another key component in developing our world class skills. As a result, teachers were involved in data meetings to plan interventions as well as enrichment. These data meetings are designed to provide opportunities for communication among all stakeholders in our building. A reading interventionist was utilized to provide focused instruction for our struggling learners. In addition, a Literacy Reflection Tool was used to assist administration and faculty in planning professional development and classroom needs. Common planning schedules allowed grade level teams to meet weekly to collaborate, research, and plan effective instruction. School initiatives at Pageland Elementary School included our Grandparents Day, “What to Expect” Parenting Sessions, Fall Festival, Red Ribbon Week, Real Men Read, a Veteran’s Day Program, Student of the Month recognition, Character Education in guidance classes, academic achievement recognitions, good behavior events, and assemblies after each quarter celebrating the successes of our students. A limited number of our students participated in virtual learning this year. One-to-one technology for our students continued to be a valuable asset to our teacher this year as they implemented Google Classroom and other web-based programs to reach all students. The School Improvement Council, community /parent volunteers, community library and police department continued to play a vital role at our school. These efforts show that community collaboration is imperative to school success. The mission of Pageland Elementary School, in partnership with our community, is to empower ALL students through a challenging yet balanced curriculum to become college and career ready leaders. As a Title 1 school, our faculty, staff, and parents insist on high standards for all students. Our highly motivated staff is dedicated and determined to provide an education that will provide our students with the knowledge and skills to become “college and career ready”.
Megan Mendoza - School Improvement Council Chairperson
Thomas C. Brewer III - Pageland Elementary School, Principal
