The South Carolina Department of Education announced the recipients of the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards for the 2011-2012 school year using criteria established by the Education Oversight Committee. Last school year, 853 schools were recognized for General Performance, Closing the Achievement Gap, or qualifying in both categories.
Of the award recipients, 612 schools were recognized for General Performance only, 39 were recognized for Closing the Achievement Gap only, and 202 schools were recognized for their performance in both General Performance and Closing the Achievement Gap. Schools recognized in both categories could achieve Gold in both, Silver in both, or one of each designation. This is the fourth year of closing the achievement gap has been honored as part of the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards program.
For the Gold Awards, 16 schools received one for Closing the Achievement Gap while the other 338 were recognized in the General Performance Category. Dillon County Applied Technology Center received a gold award for general performance.
Twenty-three schools were given a Silver Award for Closing the Achievement Gap while 164 were recognized for General Performance. As qualified by the new criteria, an additional 312 schools received a Silver Award. Dillon County Schools receiving silver awards for general performance were Lake View Elementary, Lake View Middle, Latta Middle and Latta Elementary. East Elementary received a silver award for closing the achievement gap.
The 2011-12 school year marked the first time when three years’ of data for growth index calculated using PASS test scores was available. Schools qualify for a Silver Award if the school’s absolute performance rating is above “School At Risk” for the most recent year, and its growth index is 92.20 or greater for three consecutive years. A total of 312 schools qualify for a Silver award based on this particular criterion. With the inclusion of this new way to qualify for recognition, nearly 70 percent of South Carolina schools are given awards through the Palmetto Gold and Silver Program.
Established by the Education Accountability Act of 1998, the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards Program gives recognition to schools for high levels of academic achievement and high rates of improvement. Over half of this year’s recipient schools have a poverty index of 60 or higher. The Education Oversight Committee establishes the criteria for the awards, and the State Department of Education then applies those criteria to determine which schools are honored. The criteria for awards for General Performance are based on both the absolute and growth ratings and the growth index found on school report cards.