Pee Dee Math, Science, and Technology Academy (PDMSTA) is a tuition-free public charter school. Its inaugural year was the fall of 2013. Despite the global pandemic, PDMSTA provided quality education through virtual and face-to-face learning platforms. PDMSTA offers a unique approach to students located in the heart of the rural Pee Dee region of South Carolina. PDMSTA served students kindergarten through eleventh grade for the 2020-2021 academic year, expanding to the twelfth grade for the 2021-2022 school year. The staff consists of fourteen full-time teachers, a part-time speech therapist, and a part-time psychologist. PDMSTA has a part-time registered nurse on staff. The part-time school psychologist provides multiple strategies and interventions for social and emotional support for students. PDMSTA also has an Assistant Administrator, Director of Academics, and Dean of Students who works closely with the Executive Director and an academic consulting team to support students and parents. In addition, several classified positions provide academic and school climate support, including clerical staff and food service employees. PDMSTA has 208 students.
Our goal is to cultivate a citizenry with critical-thinking skills and prepare students for success in a global economy. PDMSTA offers a resource program, speech and language services, and a reading program for students with special needs. Within the STEM curriculum, core subjects of reading, math, language arts, science, and social studies are also taught. Special classes include physical education and foreign language. PDMSTA also offers a Gifted-and-Talented program for students who qualify.
ORGANIZATION AND PHILOSOPHY
The priorities of PDMSTA are to ensure students receive quality instruction and a rigorous classroom environment. The organizational structure is such that there are no department heads. We are not at a size that could warrant middle management. Teachers are truly leading (teacher leaders) and play an active role in shaping the outcomes of our students. We do provide Instructional Coaches to help teachers with developing relevant teaching strategies. Moreover, teachers participate in Professional Learning Community (PLC) groups to collaborate with their peers. A PLC chairperson facilitates each PLC group.
We believe foremost that ALL students can learn. We also have adopted the "Logic of English" methodology to assist students in understanding the rules of reading, writing, and word structure without simply memorizing words. PDMSTA also believes reading is important, especially in the beginning and developing readers. We have a Reading Coach that assists us in our overall reading plan. We believe reading should be taught across the curriculum and that teachers should help all students develop a lifelong love for reading. According to our research, beginning readers must have a strong foundation in reading, writing, and language development, as well as adolescents. As such, PDMSTA uses various interventions to assess students' reading levels, primarily the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) system.
At PDMSTA, many of our students arrive at school needing more intensive support for learning. Over 80% of our students qualify for Free- and Reduced-Lunch, but this motivates and affirms the need for our program. It does not by any means diminish the quality of instruction or opportunities afforded to our students.
We believe in a well-rounded educational program that engages students, focusing on fundamental literacy and STEM content to help build critical thinking skills and self-efficacy.
Reading: The i-Ready reading curriculum provides teachers with engaging passages, instructional strategies to build comprehension and fluency, and multiple assessments for teachers to determine the next steps for small group instruction based on the data. Most of our reading instruction takes place in small groups. Our educators use leveled texts to challenge our scholars during guided reading groups. We currently use the Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) system to instruct all scholars not reading at grade level in K-5 classrooms. This intervention provides intensive daily instruction so that scholars receive the appropriate support to catch up by the end of the year. All grade levels have a scheduled intervention block during the school day.
PDMSTA complies with Act 284, Read to Succeed, which states "a student must be retained in the third grade if the student fails to demonstrate reading proficiency at the end of the third grade as indicated by scoring at the lowest achievement level on the state summative reading assessment (SC READY) that equates to Not Met 1 on the prior test, SC PASS." It is our goal that our students become proficient readers and advance on schedule to fourth grade.
K-8 Ready Classroom Mathematics: Ready Classroom Mathematics(Curriculum Associates)) combines the Standards of Mathematical Practices (student actions) with the Top Teacher Actions from the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to develop students as strong mathematical thinkers and problem solvers. Through instructional routines, conceptual and procedural understanding, and real-world examples, helps students make sense of mathematics. Research-based, Ready Classroom Mathematics is proven to be effective in raising student achievement and putting students on the path to becoming lifelong learners—and lovers—of all things math.
9-11 Eureka Math A new era in the high school math curriculum and a new approach for reaching all students! In keeping with the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards, Eureka Math offers new, streamlined modules that focus on a deeper understanding of math strategies and concepts while incorporating the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Science: Science Weekly and FOSS interactive Science kits feature three (3) pathways to match students' learning.
Social Studies: Social Studies Weekly and Scholastic (Choices, NY Times, and Scholastic Jr.) offer various ways for your students to think critically about key concepts—through reading, hands-on activities, and technology—so they actively experience the world they live in. Providing multiple ways to experience the content allows teachers to personalize learning.
Character Development: This year, frequent learning opportunities will be given to help develop character skills. Each day students are given 20 minutes of SEL instruction and activities. We believe that students need explicit instruction in character education and opportunities to apply them daily. Our CORE skills are citizenship, honesty, self-discipline, respect, caring, justice, courage, responsibility, goal-setting, and wisdom.
College and Career Readiness: Through our after-school programs, students will learn about careers, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. A student advocate program will be implemented to provide participants with an adult mentor that will discuss college and career goals. Students will have opportunities to meet with business leaders in the community and participate in off-site field trips that enrich their understanding of college and career opportunities.
SCHOOL ACADEMIC GOALS
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To implement critical thinking and high student academic achievement
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To integrate cross-curricular learning activities
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To provide a stimulating and challenging learning environment in which all students will be successful.
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To create/maintain a sense of community in which children are encouraged to care about each other and learn.
Enrollment: Current - 207 students (86% from Lee County, 8% from Darlington, 2% from Kershaw, 4% from Sumter ); Projected enrollment at full grade rollout (286); Waiting List - 32 students on a waiting list.
