District reports gains on state report card; graduation rate tops 90%
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Summary
Chief academic leaders presented Goal 4 metrics showing district progress: seven schools rated 'Excellent', AP participation and passage rates reported (about 2,100 AP exams with ~68% passage), a district graduation rate of 90.2%, and subject/grade proficiencies meeting or exceeding state 2030 targets in several places.
Pickens County’s strategic-plan update focused on Goal 4 (academic growth and excellence) at the Nov. 17 meeting, with administrators tying district initiatives to the recently released 2024–25 South Carolina school report cards.
Doctor Sharkey presented the strategic indicators and said the district outperformed the state in Algebra 1, English 2 and US history end-of-course exams. Sharkey cited AP participation (more than 1,100 students tested with roughly 2,100 exams administered) and an approximately 68% AP passage rate; she also reported a district SAT average near 1060 and ACT near 20.
On accountability ratings, Sharkey said seven district schools achieved an 'Excellent' rating this year and several grades and subjects had already reached the state's 2030 North Star target of 75% proficiency in SC READY or EOC measures. The district-wide graduation rate exceeded its 90% goal with a reported 90.2% rate, and the presentation said 82.4% of graduates were college- or career-ready versus a 75% state rate.
Sharkey described strategies underpinning the results: multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), common formative assessments, aligned bell schedules to enable collaborative professional development, and career-and-technical programming and partnerships that expand student options. Board members asked about poverty correlations and whether best practices from high-performing schools are being disseminated; Sharkey said MTSS and aligned planning time help share instructional practices across schools.
The update was informational; Sharkey said further subgroup analyses from the state will arrive in January and that the district will continue implementing the strategic plan to raise performance across all schools.