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Dr. Williams says Richland 1 improved state Gold/Silver awards, with most winners at the elementary level
Summary
Dr. Williams told the CNI committee that the South Carolina Department of Education Gold and Silver Awards recognize academic attainment and progress; Richland 1 has seen improvement over four years, reaching seven awards in the most recent reporting period, most of them at elementary schools.
Dr. Williams, the presenter for item 2.1, told the CNI committee on May 19 that the State Department of Education’s Gold and Silver Awards recognize schools for both academic achievement and student progress, including progress by the lowest 20% of students. “It recognizes and rewards schools for obtaining high levels of performance, also for attaining high rates of growth, and also for making progress in closing the achievement gap between disaggregated groups,” Dr. Williams said.
The awards use two primary indicator areas for elementary and middle schools — academic achievement and student progress — and multiple indicators for high schools, including graduation rate and college- and career-readiness measures. Dr. Williams said the district investigated statewide totals and found 378 schools received gold or silver awards last year, roughly 30% of South Carolina public schools, underscoring the awards’ selectivity and prestige.
Committee members asked about recent year-by-year counts and why high schools are less frequently recognized. Dr. Williams summarized Richland 1’s reported counts across the past four reported years (5, 6, 5, and 7 awards respectively) and said most of the district’s awards in the most recent year were elementary-level. She cautioned that a school can be numerically close to thresholds yet fail to meet the categorical combination required for a designation.
Dr. Hassinger, who explained how college and career readiness is measured, listed several pathways to be considered college-ready (state test scores, AP/IB/Cambridge credits, dual-enrollment success) and an array of indicators for career readiness (industry credentials, work-based learning aligned to students’ individualized graduation plans, and ASVAB scores). The committee discussed how the state reduced recognized career-pathway categories from 16 to 14 while the district continues to offer additional programs that the state classifies as special programs.
Members and staff highlighted recurring themes among award-winning schools: focused use of data, professional learning communities (PLCs) and leadership that translates classroom data into instructional changes. Dr. Williams said some schools are repeat winners and recommended examining those school practices to identify sustainable strategies.
The presentation was informational; no formal action was taken. Committee members requested further detail about which schools repeated and follow-up materials that could be added to the slides.
