Dewey Carter Elementary is a rural community school proudly serving approximately seven hundred students. We continually strive to increase the academic achievement levels of our students, with the help of our dedicated staff members. We have a very strong 4K program that helps us prepare our youngest students for a formal Kindergarten program. We continue to utilize the following staff:
a Curriculum/Technology Coach for professional development and coaching of teachers;
a Reading Coach (state funded) for professional development and coaching of teachers;
2 Reading Recovery teachers that serve our large number of struggling readers in 1st grade;
2 Reading Interventionists that pull small groups of struggling readers in grades 1-3
2 Part-time Instructional Interventionists that pull small groups of struggling students in grades 4-6
To better serve our students with behavior issues, we have implemented the PBIS system for discipline and adding staff development for empowering teachers dealing with students of poverty.
Dewey L. Carter prides itself on continuing with reading initiatives that are designed to keep reading fun, relevant, and entertaining for our students. We currently use the Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt reading program district-wide in an effort to increase student achievement in reading, with the help of increased small group instruction and individual student interventions. We also are excited that we are now 1:1 with our Chromebook Initiative in grades K-6. This initiative is transforming teaching and learning in our school through increased student engagement and increased opportunities for student-led collaboration within our classrooms.
Our teachers continue to receive support and professional development in math strategies, in an effort to increase student engagement, especially through the use of small group centers during instructional time. Our school continues to be very cognizant of data and strives to gather data through a variety of assessments and we adjust our instruction accordingly.
As evident from our school report card data, ELA continues to be an area of weakness, especially with our 5th grade students. Only 21.7% of students scored met or exceeding on SC Ready in 2019. In an effort to improve student ELA proficiency, we will work to establish small group interventions and provide teachers with support in targeting student weaknesses in their classrooms. We are implementing a school-wide intervention block to help target the weaknesses in ELA and Math.
In developing well-rounded children, we emphasize personal character daily and recognize achievements in academics, attendance and positive behavior. We offer a number of extracurricular clubs and activities including an environmental CARE Club, Chorus, Beta Club, Good News Club and Battle of the Books team. We partner with organizations like the National Network of Partnership Schools, local churches, and nearby McCall Farms to strengthen community relations and participation. We recognize that our parents play a vital role in the education of our students and encourage them to visit our website to view current lesson plans and updates on what our students are learning. We also welcome them in visiting and/or becoming a part of serving our staff and students as a contributing member of our school’s Association of Parents and Teachers (APT).
The staff and community of Dewey L. Carter Elementary have accomplished many things and look forward to continued success in the future.
