RESOURCES FOR PRESCHOOL
As you may be aware, the South Carolina Read to Succeed Act, which became law in 2014, aims to improve literacy and reading proficiency for all children in our state. The new law, which goes into effect in the 2017-2018 school year, includes some significant changes regarding the promotion and retention of third grade students.
Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, a student must be retained in the third grade if the student fails to demonstrate reading proficiency. A student’s reading proficiency will be determined based on his or her score on the state summative reading assessment. The state will be identifying students scoring in the bottom 5% on the assessment across the entire state population for possible retention.
As stated above, these changes do not take effect until the 2017-2018 school year. This school year’s second-grade students (2016-2017) will be the first group of third-grade students to be impacted by this portion of the Read to Succeed Law.
A student may be exempt for a good cause from the mandatory retention but shall continue to receive instructional support and services and reading intervention appropriate for his/her age and reading level. Some of the exemptions include students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, and students who have received two years of reading intervention and were previously retained. Also, students eligible for retention may enroll in a Summer Reading Camp provided by the district prior to being retained the following school year. Your child’s teacher or school administration will be able to discuss exceptions with you.
Please be assured that our goals are that all students will be proficient readers in third grade and that no students will be retained for failing to demonstrate reading proficiency. Supports have been put in place in elementary schools to improve student success in literacy. These supports include additional literacy instructional time, small group and individualized instruction, and computer assisted instruction. Classroom teachers have also received specialized literacy training and support from school-based literacy coaches and content interventionists.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your school’s principal. You can also find information about Read to Succeed on the South Carolina Department of Education website
DayByDaySC Family Literacy Calendar
The South Carolina Day by Day Family Literacy Calendar is designed to be a tool that families, caregivers, educators and librarians can use at home and in the classroom to further develop early literacy skills that help young children become prepared for school or do better in school. The Calendar is a project of the South Carolina State Library, working in partnership with many agencies and organizations, and primarily funded by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).