York School District One continued the journey to become a learning organization during the 2022-2023 school year and began the work of executing the strategies to reach our three bold goals in our Strategic Change Agenda 2022-2027. Those three goals are:
- Create a challenging and supportive educational environment that ensures readiness for all students.
- Create quality opportunities for ongoing learning for students and staff in order to promote innovation and flexibility.
- Build capacity and leadership at every level of the organization.
Using our York School District One Board Priorities as a guide, we established a set of commitments to serve as mutually agreed upon foundational actions needed to meet our goals. These commitments serve as guideposts to direct our work as we live out our daily beliefs in our work with students, parents, and the community. Our mission is to cultivate a service-oriented community of learners who strive for personal growth and excellence as communicators, collaborators, creators, and critical thinkers. As students exit the York School District One system, our goal is for them to achieve every aspect of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, having developed World Class Knowledge, World Class Skills, and Life and Career Characteristics that ensure their readiness for college, career, the military or whatever path they may choose.
Our focus on student-centered learning and teachers as designers of high-quality learning experiences continues to be pivotal to transforming student achievement and professional practice in our district. As we move forward in this work, we are excited about expanding learning opportunities for our students through our Competency Based Education Waiver granted by the South Carolina Board of Education. As one of two districts in the state with this designation, we are working to explore ways to support our students in pursuing high academic achievement while pursuing their passions. We look forward to the transformational impact of this work and the way it will add to the body of knowledge, skills, and characteristics that ready our students for life after graduation, whether they choose to pursue post-secondary education, enlist in the military, or join the work force.
Our teachers work diligently to design high-quality learning experiences for our students that focus on developing the whole child. During the 2022-2023 school year, they engaged in high-quality professional development focused on student-centered learning. By leveraging technology to enhance their effectiveness and improve student achievement, we continue to see gains in academic achievement that signify a return to pre-pandemic levels. As we continue using our teaching and learning framework to guide the instructional efforts of our staff, we look forward to continued improvement in the academic achievement of our students.
As we strive to become a premiere learning organization, we recognize the importance of ensuring a safe, orderly, and nurturing environment for students. Therefore, we will continue to work to personalize each student's learning experiences, assessing and addressing their individual needs while celebrating their successes. Our efforts remain centered on the system's clear purpose: to ensure our children can reach their highest potential by finding the intersection of what they are passionate about and what they do well.
A strong and unified board of trustees, a knowledgeable and committed staff, and a district-wide emphasis on learning, serving, and giving as one facilitates our district's ongoing improvements. The strong partnerships and trusting relationships we work to maintain with our stakeholders are critical to the continued success and growth of the district and, most importantly, OUR students. Our goal is for all York School District One graduates to exit our system as productive, contributing members of society who can collaborate, communicate, and think critically, while striving for personal growth and excellence.
Education is the shared responsibility of the home, school, and community, and we are fortunate to serve in a community that embraces this philosophy. Our School Board, Administration, Faculty, Staff, Parents, Students, and Community continue to put children first in our decision-making and planning! Our people make the difference!
Kelly S. Coxe
Superintendent
