State superintendent cites NAEP gains, seeks funding for literacy, teacher pay and infrastructure

Superintendent Weaver told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee that new National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results showed South Carolina has recovered strongly after COVID, with fourth‑grade scores placing the state among the nation’s leaders and the state “beating the national storyline.”

Weaver said the Department of Education is asking the Legislature to fund a set of priorities grouped as student success, teacher support and safe schools, including recurring and nonrecurring items for summer reading camps, high‑quality instructional materials, the Palmetto Math rollout, and a recurring increase to teacher pay.

The NAEP results, released the night before the hearing, were framed by Weaver as evidence the state’s literacy investments are producing results: “When you look at our fourth grade math and reading scores and you compare where South Carolina was in 2019 before the pandemic to where we are today, our trajectory puts us in the top 3 states in the country,” Weaver said. She added that middle‑school math and reading remain areas that “need a lot of work.”

Why it matters: Weaver linked the NAEP gains to programs funded in prior years, including the Palmetto Literacy Project and a statewide adoption of high‑quality instructional materials. Lawmakers on the subcommittee asked for details about implementation, equity and fiscal tradeoffs as they consider requests in the coming budget cycle.

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