Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing research based, rigorous, instruction aligned to the South Carolina Standards in all subject areas.
The 2018 Annual School Report Card for Palmetto Youth Academy, PYA, provided Evidence that the school's students made progress similar to the Growth Standard (the school's index is between -1 and 1).
PYA received a “Level 3” for, Average Effectiveness. The index value is the growth measure divided by its standard error, and it provides a signal as to whether the progress estimate is significantly different from the expected growth. The index value also standardizes growth measures across different models, subjects, and grades for a more equitable comparison than the growth measure alone.
The School Accountability Composite was calculated based on progress of: All Students (Elementary), Pupils in Poverty (Elementary), and Black or African American Students (Elementary) on SCREADY English Language Arts and Mathematics.
Although the Annual School Report Card for Palmetto Youth Academy provides evidence that all groups of students at PYA are making significant progress, the school received an overall rating of Unsatisfactory. Of the 8 categories used to calculate the school’s rating, PYA only received ratings for 3 of the 8 categories.
The 2018 SC Annual School Report Card ratings are based on: Academic Achievement, Preparing for Success, English Learners Progress, Student Progress, School Quality, Classroom Environment, Student Safety, and Financial Data.
Palmetto Youth Academy, is a public charter school with a maximum enrollment of 100 students in grades Kindergarten through Sixth Grade. In 2018, 46 students in grades 3-6 were enrolled at PYA. All 46 students, 100 percent, were administered the SCREADY, and SCPASS test as required. Of these 46 students, 100 percent were African American, 90 percent were pupils in poverty, and 21 percent were students with disabilities.
The mission of Palmetto Youth Academy is to provide an opportunity for all students, regardless of income or ability, to reach their full potential, academically, socially, and behaviorally. In an effort to carry out this mission, PYA provides a unique educational program that includes: a school uniform policy for all students, a year-round schedule with 185 instructional days, a free after school program, monthly parenting and family literacy workshops, extracurricular activities including, dance, choir, drumline, step team, art and more. In addition, PYA hosts 10-12 social and community events each year including, National Reading Day, Royalty Crowning Ceremony, Poetry Café’, Father Daughter Dance, Mother Son Dance, Spring Dance, Field Day, Pep Rallies, Field Trips and more. PYA has a behavior interventionist and school policies that allow students opportunities to stay in school versus receiving out of school suspensions.
This unique educational program has proven to be successful for over a thousand students throughout the past 14 years. Despite the fact that 90 percent of students enrolled at PYA currently and in the previous years, are considered “at-risk”, the SC Annual School Report Card shows that students at PYA are making “average” progress.
With only 46 students tested and enrolled in grades 3-6, 5 of the 8 categories were marked “not rated” on the 2018 SC Annual School Report Card. Based on the factors used to calculate school ratings in 2018, the amount of students enrolled and tested at PYA each year, and the continuous change in student enrollment each year, it is almost impossible for PYA to receive a satisfactory report card rating. However, it is not impossible for every student enrolled at PYA to make significant progress each year. This is one of the main goals outlined in the school’s charter, and progress towards this goal is reported as “average” on the 2018 Annual School Report Card.
Yvonne Brown-Burgess
Principal/Executive Director
