UPDATE Our district is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by continuing to create a safe and positive learning environment in which all students feel valued and are challenged to reach their highest potential.
During the 2023-2024 school year, Chester County School District (CCSD) earned Cognia Systems Accreditation, which means that our district meets Cognia Performance Standards and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement. Achieving Cognia accreditation was a team effort, and we will use the feedback received to ensure our students are college and career ready.
To reach their future goals, our students must continue to grow academically from year to year. Our early childhood students demonstrated reading growth, for example. The number of students flagged for tiered instruction by the MAP Reading Fluency assessment dropped from 43% in Spring 2023 to 22% in Spring 2024. CCSD continued training teachers in foundational reading instruction and began a partnership with the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) to implement its UFLI Foundations curriculum. Proficiency on the English Language Arts portion of SC READY for grades 3-8 remained the same for Spring 2024 at 44%. There was a slight decrease from 30.0% to 29.6% in math performance. End-of-course exam results improved in Algebra 1, Biology, and English 2 for the 2023-2024 school year.
CCSD celebrated Great Falls Elementary School and Lewisville Elementary School. Both schools applied for the Palmetto’s Finest Award, and both were selected for school visits, which was an honor. Additionally, Lewisville Elementary received Palmetto Gold for 2021-2022 and Palmetto Silver for 2022-2023 state assessment performance.
Learning beyond the classroom is important for students, as well. During our annual Giti STEAM Club Competition, students collaborated to design roller coasters. School winners were Great Falls Elementary School, Chester Middle School, and Lewisville High School. These teams represented the district at King’s Dominion for a national competition, and each earned first place. The Chester County Career Center had another successful year with numerous students receiving industry certifications and achieving completer status. Students also showcased their talents and represented our district at competitions, such as the National SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, GA.
Our students have exposure to post-secondary education and earn dual credit through our partnerships with local colleges and universities. Students in our Early College Program at York Tech, for example, completed over 72 courses totaling over $37,000 in tuition savings.
CCSD students have also had accomplishments in the arts. We held our annual Arts Showcase, which included visual arts exhibits and band, dance, and choral performances. Our three high school band programs continue to collaborate to perform at various district and community events throughout the year and held a “master class” for students with a music expert. The Great Falls High band earned superior and excellent ratings on the Concert Performance Assessment, and the Lewisville band program won numerous awards and titles for their ensembles, winter guard, and band overall.
We are also proud of our athletic programs. Each high school had student, coach, and/or administrator of the year recognitions. Additionally, the Chester High boys’ wrestling team won their region, and the Lewisville High softball team finished as state champions.
Finally, the Class of 2024 from our three high schools received a combined $10.1 million in scholarship offers, which is a testament to the hard work of students and staff.
It takes a collaborative culture to support student and staff growth. We are focused on providing high levels of learning for all students through our district-wide implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs). We will continue PLCs during the upcoming school year. As a district, we are making gains, and we are committed to moving “Forward Together for Student Success”!
Dr. Antwon Sutton, Superintendent
Mr. Doug Shannon, School Board Chairman
