serving the individual needs of each student in our district. The student population consists of South Carolina youth who are adjudicated delinquent for committing one or more offenses. Many of the juveniles have been either suspended or expelled from their previous school district. Thus DJJ juveniles often have not had the opportunity to receive the full benefit of educational opportunities. Forty-five percent of the BRRC student population is older than normal for their grade placement.
Thirty-eight percent of the juveniles committed to the Broad River Road complex (BRRC) receive special education and related services as specified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In the spirit of accountability, the Department of Juvenile Justice Special School District has selected five criteria as improvement measurements to increase 1) Reading skills, 2) Math skills, 3) GED acquisition, 4) Average number of earned Carnegie units and, 5) Average middle school core courses passed. Each criterion is weighted based upon the percentage of students in each category. Middle and high school students’ math and reading achievement is measured by comparing pretest and posttest scores with the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) computer assessment program. DJJ tracks the percentage of students who earn their GED as well as Carnegie units and core middle school courses passed. For the 2022-2022 school year, sixty-four percent of those who took the exam earned the GED. The average number of Carnegie units earned was 5% and the average middle school classes passed was 3, attributed largely to enrollee fluidity and attrition, and age-grade disparity. Students who pre/post MAP tested increased by 52% in math and 72% in reading. During this school year, the DJJ Special School district had 55 GED graduates (64%) and two high school diploma graduates.
An additional focus of DJJ Educational Services is to provide students marketable job skills through the Career and Technology Education (CATE) curriculum which continues to support several programs and integrates academics and technical education standards, while providing marketable workplace skills. The District also offers opportunities for students to enter the workforce or participate in post-secondary education.
