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Florence County School District 5 presents mixed spring diagnostics as SC Ready testing begins
Summary
District academic staff reported gains in early grades and mixed results across middle and high school diagnostics ahead of SC Ready and EOC testing, noting calibration issues between I-Ready projections and SC Ready and listing interventions for 'bubble' students.
District academic staff presented spring diagnostic results and described steps to support students as SC Ready testing begins this week.
Mister Golds, the district academic presenter, opened with testing logistics: writing tests at JES and JMS on May 1, followed by ELA and math sections on subsequent days. He warned that I-Ready projections can differ from SC Ready and said I-Ready does not include the writing component. “I Ready does not incorporate the writing portion because I Ready... we don't write in I Ready,” Golds said, noting that writing results have historically raised overall proficiency on state measures.
Johnsonville Elementary principal Miss Burrows highlighted strong gains in early grades on I-Ready diagnostics: she reported that 3rd-grade Tier 1 ELA rose from 26% to 53% while Tier 3 dropped from 50% to 23%; 4th grade improved from 22% to 44% Tier 1 and reduced Tier 3 from 29% to 10%. Burrows described targeted small-group instruction, interventionists, and after-school tutoring for bubble students as next steps to preserve gains.
Board members asked about apparent drops from winter to spring diagnostic windows. Staff attributed some declines to testing environment and timing (the district tested earlier this year), teacher absences on assessment days, student 'testing fatigue' and calibration differences between interim diagnostic tools and state tests. Golds said middle grades showed growth in reading overall but cautioned that projections will stabilize as new ELA standards are calibrated with statewide data.
On secondary assessments, Mister Flynn said English 2 work showed about 65% C-or-higher performance while biology first-semester scores were lower (about 28% C-or-higher for the cohort cited). Flynn said staffing disruptions (teacher departures and maternity leave) contributed to lower EOC results in specific classes and described use of Progress Learning assessments to pinpoint standards that need reinforcement.
Why it matters: These diagnostics guide short-term interventions during the weeks leading to SC Ready and the EOC exams and inform staffing and tutoring priorities. District leaders said they will continue targeted small-group and individualized instruction and monitor SC Ready outcomes when released.
The superintendent closed the report with a reminder of upcoming testing dates and school events.
