Dear Charleston County School District Students, Parents, and Community Members:
Our district is committed to ensuring that all of our students are college, career, and citizenship ready as defined in our state’s Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. As we reflect on the 2018-19 school year in CCSD, there are many notable accomplishments that highlight the progress that we are making.
The CCSD Senior Class of 2019 earned a record $73,618,052 in college scholarship money. In addition, record numbers of our students were enrolled in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses last year.
Our teachers continued with a rigorous focus on academic progress resulting in improved state measures for readiness in English, language arts, and math.
Our district had record-high SAT scores above the national average, and our students had increased opportunities in world languages and the arts. As we continue to work to ensure that all of our students are college and career ready and use formative assessment tools such as MAP, we are encouraged that district-wide, we have a higher percentage of students scoring in the top quartile than the nation as a whole, and a lower percentage of students scoring in the bottom quartile than the nation as a whole.
Several CCSD employees were recognized as Best in the State. A nurse from Stiles Point was named the 2019 South Carolina School Nurse of the Year, marking the second year in a row that a nurse from CCSD has earned this honor. In addition, CCSD’s Teacher of the Year, Stephanie Haecherl, was named a South Carolina Teacher of the Year Finalist.
School celebrations include Academic Magnet High being named the Best High School in the country by U.S. News & World Report, with two other CCSD high schools being ranked in the top ten in the state.
District accomplishments include CCSD’s Teacher Residency Program being named a finalist for the Dick & Tunky Riley WhatWorksSC Award.
The district also earned AdvancED Accreditation by working on goals set by the non-profit, non-governmental organization that accredits schools throughout the US and internationally. We also celebrate the implementation of our five-year strategic plan to provide all students with a premier and equitable education.
Our key goal of creating a unified, rigorous curriculum for all students has been the primary focus of our staff. The expansion of the district’s Distance Learning Program has led to greater collaboration in promoting equity across the district.
We have more Career Completers than ever before as well as growing numbers of students and educators participating in work-based learning experiences, including apprenticeships and internships. As a result, the district’s first-ever Center for Advanced Studies is being replicated, providing for expanded dual credit and certification opportunities.
CCSD now features 23 MUSC Telehealth Clinics that allow students to receive diagnosis and treatment through the School-Based Health Program of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). MUSC Health operates the School-Based Health Program across the district so that students can receive healthcare in the school setting.
In addition, the MUSC Boeing Center for Children's Wellness (BCCW) in partnership with CCSD celebrated over 80 schools and their wellness efforts. This health initiative was created with the goal of improving nutrition and increasing physical activity for students and staff by motivating districts and schools to make policy, system, and environmental changes.
Our Board of Trustees is committed to providing quality facilities that will meet the needs for the future of our district and the quality of the education we provide for years to come. These included the grand opening of Stono Park Elementary School, Matilda Dunston Elementary School, Edmund Burns @ Meeting Street Elementary School and the Moultrie Middle School expansion project.
Looking ahead to 2020, the district will be opening Lucy Beckham High School, C.E. Williams Middle School, Camp Road Middle School, the District 4 Regional Stadium, and North Charleston Center for Advanced Studies.
Mission Critical Action plans were presented to the board in an effort to begin developing a comprehensive plan for North Charleston, West Ashley, John’s Island, and downtown schools to ensure that all students have access to high-quality PK-12 school options in their neighborhoods.
Our education leaders are accountable and have unique responsibilities for developing and implementing a vision of learning. I am proud of their continued hard work in ensuring the achievement of all students by guiding the development and implementation of a shared vision of learning, strong organizational mission, and high expectations for every student.
Lastly, CCSD is part of a four-district consortium called Lowcountry Education Consortium, working to develop an accountability system to ensure students are college and career ready. This is a regional effort to prepare students to be successful by developing world-class skills, life and career characteristics, and world-class knowledge as outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
We thank the CCSD family and the communities we serve for their continued support.
Gerrita Postlewait
Superintendent of Schools
