Richland 02 committee reviews "Graduate Ready" plan, moves to sunset career-prep pathway and adopt state employability credential

Dr. Jerome Davis, who leads the district's Graduate Ready initiative, told the Richland 02 Academics Committee on March 26 that the plan is designed to close gaps between current outcomes and the district's Vision 2028 targets. "Right now, our existing graduation rate is 86.6%, and our college and career readiness rate is 74.2%," Davis said, adding that Graduate Ready is intended "to close those gaps."

Davis told trustees the initiative defines a student as college- or career-ready when he or she leaves Richland 02 with a diploma and at least one of five credentials: a CTE industry certification; documented work-based learning such as a paid internship or youth apprenticeship; six or more college credits earned through dual enrollment; a qualifying ASVAB score for military readiness; or meeting an SAT/ACT benchmark (or a WIN Ready to Work silver score). "Those are all the methods and ways that we can plan to accomplish this," Davis said.

The presentation included targeted strategies for two problems of practice: "diploma quality," ensuring diplomas reflect preparation rather than mere attendance, and "readiness for all," providing alternative pathways for students off track to graduate. Davis said the district will pay particular attention to students with grade-point averages between 0.00 and 1.99 and to roughly 1.3% of students (about 100–110 students annually) who presently are most at risk of dropping out.

Shaquena McLaughlin, who spoke about the state-recognized South Carolina Employability Credential, summarized the credential's requirements: "students have to get 360 work-based hours. They have to do 24 course credits. They have to complete a portfolio, and then they have to participate in required state assessments." McLaughlin said the credential is an alternative pathway (not a diploma) the state began recognizing around 2022 and that district policy must be updated to align with it.

Trustees asked several operational and equity questions. One trustee worried that removing district career-prep language might eliminate supports for students with disabilities or interfere with Vocational Rehabilitation and Project SEARCH placements. McLaughlin and Jennifer Kane clarified these are distinct: the employability credential requires IEP-team involvement for students receiving it, whereas Project SEARCH and Voc Rehab are separate programs and should not be conflated with the credential. "Those are two separate things," McLaughlin said when asked about the overlap.

Committee members asked staff to ensure communications make the distinctions clear and to prepare two concise board briefs: one addressing the proposed dissolution of the district career-prep program and another explaining transition services and how special-education, Voc Rehab and Project SEARCH students will continue to receive supports at the school level. Speaker 2 said a second reading and fuller board brief would occur at the next meeting.

The committee did not take a formal policy vote on March 26; staff were directed to develop board briefs and implementation guidance so trustees and school teams can plan for sunsetting the career-prep pathway while expanding alternative, state-recognized credentials and supports.