Colleton County reports double-digit ELA gain; district outlines interventions, PBIS pilot and SC Works partnership

Superintendent Williams told the Colleton County School District Committee of the Whole on Sept. 9 that districtwide English/language arts results rose 10.2 percentage points — from 32% to 42.2% — and that the state recognized the district as second in South Carolina for growth in ELA.

That improvement, Williams said, reduced the district’s immediate risk of state takeover and reflected “the persistent work of our teachers, our staff, our administrators, and most notably ... our students.” She told the board the gains represent both year-to-year increases and growth when students are tracked as cohorts across grades.

The superintendent and district staff described several concurrent steps meant to sustain academic gains and address remaining gaps: weekly classroom observations and data reflections led by district instructional leaders; targeted middle-school math supports including math labs and a math interventionist; participation in the Palmetto math project; partnerships with Sylvan Learning Center for tutoring; and continued use of benchmark systems such as MasteryConnect at the high school level.

Superin…