Our goal is to systematically teach and practice skills and strategies that contribute to each student developing a successful South Carolina graduate profile. We conducted a needs assessment and developed an overview of our school beliefs, culture, current levels of achievement and future academic, social and professional goals. As part of our reflective professional community our students, parents, faculty and staff participated in a Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) to identify areas for growth and development including academics, culture and leadership. This survey instrument measures achievement, staff satisfaction, student engagement, school environment, family involvement, staff social emotional readiness, and student leadership within the school and home. We reviewed and completed criteria measuring growth on a rubric submitted for recertification as a Leader In Me Lighthouse School in April 2020. In July 2020 we were notified of our reaccreditation status as a Leader In Me Lighthouse School !! We received recertification of our status as a STEM school in the spring of 2021. In the area of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) we successfully documented our continued growth in this area of rigorous instruction through a self-assessment diagnostic and Cognia team interview process for STEM recertification. Each of these instructional platforms prepare our students for academic rigor, developing leadership and assessment skills, and promote inquiry-based learning strategies and student engagements.
Our school currently represents high levels of diversity, poverty, low socio- economic demographics and high levels of need for academic and social emotional support. We have developed capacity to reach out to our students and families through direct literacy and math interventions, an active Response to Intervention assessment and implementation process. We have 3 literacy teachers to directly serve students. A literacy and math coach are in place to serve teachers and students. To meet the needs of our English as Second Language Learners we have 4.5 ESOL teachers who serve students in reading, writing, speaking, math, language development and monitoring support. We have a full time School Social Worker, two full time Bi- lingual Liaisons, and a Parent Volunteer Coordinator. Due to our high special education population, we have two assistant principals. In our 2020 -2021 Title One Plan we added a Parent Liaison to serve the needs of special education parents, students and teachers. We seek to increase communication and collaboration with our students, teachers and parents to refine our instructional program and promote effective instruction. We have a guidance counselor serving prekindergarten through second grade, and a guidance counselor serving third through fifth grade students. Both guidance counselors regularly assess and complete evaluation of services, programs, and ongoing student needs. During the pandemic closure guidance counselors focused on deescalating trauma and building skills to support students and parents.
Our core beliefs in bringing out the leadership potential of each child is infused throughout the school through a learning through leadership model, The Leader In Me. Through examination and reflection, we have identified strategies and systems to build positive choices through the seven effective habits, roles and participation models to demonstrate leadership, and accountability systems to measure and evaluate individual, classroom, grade level and school wide data points. Our school climate has improved; discipline referrals have substantially decreased. Increases in satisfaction of our school culture is evident in the MRA on increases in growth scores in school environment, student engagement, staff satisfaction and family involvement.
Student capacity and achievement are demonstrated in scores that meet and exceed district and state norms, even while we continue to have students enter our school with significant gaps in readiness skills and literacy and math knowledge. Our kindergarten students score 21.14% ready on the KRA, whereas across South Carolina students are 35.82% ready, and in Beaufort County School District 33.35% ready. Our school is recognized as having one of the highest student growth index in Beaufort County School District; especially in our English as Second language subgroup. We have increased the number of students testing out of English as Second language Services based on growth in ACCESS scores. Our students begin demonstrating accelerated growth in closing academic gaps in third grade. Fourth grade scores are consistently high in ELA, math, social studies and science. This is commiserate with research that indicates language proficiency develops on a social and academic level differently, with 2- 3 years needed for social fluency, and 3- 5 years needed for competency in content-oriented language and competency. The fifth grade is examining delivery and content to focus on improvement. As a school, we continue to examine and implement parent outreach program to support parent understanding in d involvement in their child’s education, as well as their role in the process. Our school diversity is an opportunity to develop mutual respect and collaboration.
The 2019 South Carolina Department of Education Home School Survey results indicate high levels of satisfaction with the learning environment, social and physical environment of the school, and the percent satisfied with home school relations. Students reported 97.30% were satisfied with the learning environment, 98.20% satisfied with the social and physical environment, and 91.70% of students satisfied with home school relations. Teachers registered as 94.50% in the area of learning environment, 98.20% satisfied with social and physical environment, and 94.40% with home school relations. Parents indicated 97.80 % satisfied with the learning environment, 98.80% satisfied with the social and physical environment, and 90.40% satisfied with home school relations
Results of the 2019 AdVancEd Student Engagement Survey indicate a high level of committed engagement in the behavioral domain ( 62.06%),Cognitive domain (62.94%), and Emotional Domain ( 68.53%). Our overall results are reflective of Beaufort County School District's results as a whole.
Beaufort County School District opened in a virtual model in the fall of 2020 due to school closures during the COVID 19 pandemic statewide. We reopened in October 2020 allowing families to chose virtual or face to face model of instruction. We were prepared for our students to school ! We implemented CDC guidelines and developed a district and school Reentry Plan. Parents were surveyed as to their concerns and notified of systemic changes throughout the school to provide increased cleaning, sanitized surfaces, smaller class cohorts to reduce exposure, and refined school schedules to support student and adult health. Our parents responded with a positive attitude and confidence in our school. By January 2021 88% of our students had returned to face to face instruction! Throughout the spring semester we communicated through virtual and face to face conferences and updates with parents to inform decisions and create opportunities for academic growth. By April 2021 more than 93% of our 720 students were attending face to face instruction. Fall to Spring MAP data indicates our student's growth in reading and math, across all grade levels, meets or exceeds district growth ! We are currently awaiting final results on SCPASS, SC REady and final Measures of Academic Progress scores.