COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Education released the latest standardized test results from the 2021-2022 school year for students in elementary and middle school grade levels.
The South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) accesses knowledge in two subjects -- science and social studies. The science test is given to students in grades four, six, and eight, while the social studies test is given to fifth and seventh graders.
The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) exams in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics is given to all students in grades three through eight.
Results are somewhat mixed --
- SCPASS results show 46 percent of the 113,880 fourth and sixth grade students tested in 2021-2022 met or exceeded state standards in science. This is an increase from 43 percent in 2020-2021 when 101,509 fourth and sixth graders were tested and a decrease from 49 percent in 2018-2019 when 178,756 fourth, sixth and eighth graders were tested.
- SC READY results show nearly 47 percent of the 347,962 third through eighth grade students tested met or exceeded expectations in ELA on state assessments during the 2021-2022 school year. This is an increase from around 42 percent (305,820 tested) during 2020-2021 and 45 percent (355,930 tested) during the 2018-2019 year. Math scores mirror national assessment data, which show a decline post pandemic. Just 39 percent of students met or exceeded expectations last school year, an increase from around 37 percent during 2020-2021 and decrease from around 45 percent during the 2018-2019 school year.
“Today’s results confirm the impacts and disruptions caused by the pandemic and the fact that we must continue to support students and educators as we recover,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. “We are alarmed and very concerned about the regression we see in areas like math, while encouraged by what we see in ELA. Much more will need to be done to reach our high standards and goals for the students of South Carolina, and it will take the combined efforts of educators, parents, and other stakeholders as we move forward.”
State, school district, and school level data for the SC PASS and SC READY assessments can be accessed by visiting South Carolina Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS) and SC READY - South Carolina Department of Education.
