Richland One details Read to Succeed summer plan, third-grade retention rules

Richland One staff on April 14 told the district's Curriculum and Instruction Committee that implementation of the state's Read to Succeed requirements will center on intensive summer reading camps, strengthened third-grade retention rules and tighter documentation and reporting.

"The goal is for at least 75% of students to be reading at or above grade level by 2030," Miss Sturdivant said, summarizing the state's "North Star" and the district's plan to support students toward that target. Staff said the district will run concentrated summer programming that begins June 2 (teacher work day June 1) and ends July 2, and that it will submit daily attendance and pre/post assessment results for camp attendees into PowerSchool for state review.

Why it matters: State legislation tightens the third-grade reading guarantee, district staff said, making retention mandatory for students who "do not meet" on SC Ready unless they qualify for a statutory good-cause exemption. Richland One will continue to maintain reading portfolios as a record of progress but staff said the portfolio no longer counts as a statutory good-cause exemption under the law; approved alternative assessments and other enumerated exemptions still apply.

Staff described several operational details. This year the district extended summer-camp invitations to eligible first graders and plans to extend invitations to second graders in 2026-27 when state funding for those grades is released. The district uses STAR as its approved alternative assessment; presenters said a STAR spring score of 941 can be used as an exemption in lieu of other measures when the student also meets the statutory conditions. Attendance for third-grade participants is being stressed: staff said the state will expect daily attendance recorded in PowerSchool and that the district is encouraging 90% participation among required third graders.

To increase instructional impact, presenters said Richland One will staff third-grade summer classes at a 10-to-1 ratio (the state minimum cited in the presentation is 15-to-1) and will continue a two-teacher co-teaching model that staff reported produced stronger instructional time and fewer behavior disruptions last summer. Individualized Reading Plans (IRPs) will be created for students K through 5 who demonstrate literacy deficiencies; IRPs must include clear goals, intervention strategies and progress monitoring and require parent notification, presenters said.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about who is "required," "invited" or "eligible" to attend; presenters confirmed third graders who "do not meet" are required to attend summer camp to be considered for promotion, while K through second grades currently receive invitations or are strongly encouraged, depending on assessment results and funding availability. Board members also pressed staff on how portfolios will be used as documentation even though portfolios can no longer serve as statutory exemptions.

Next steps: The presentation was informational; staff will proceed with invitations, staffing and PowerSchool reporting as described and return to the board as warranted. The committee took no formal vote on the presentation.