State 'Report Card' Gives Lexington One High Marks

Lexington County School District One has received an "Excellent" Absolute rating on the 2011 School Report Card, according to data release by the S.C. Department of Education.

View summarized and detailed information for the district and your child's school.

Absolute ratings are based on a set of test scores and cover the most recently completed school year. For high schools, those tests include End-of-Course exams, the High School Assessment Program (HSAP) exams and graduation rates.

On that last measure, Lexington High led the way with an on-time graduation rate of 87.5 percent, followed by White Knoll High at 83.4 percent, Gilbert High at 80.6 percent, and Pelion High at 79.1 percent. The statewide rate was 73.6 percent.

Districts and schools also receive Growth ratings (formerly called Improvement ratings) that make a comparison of test scores from the recent school year to previous years. This rating shows a trend through the years and is a secondary measurement for schools and districts.

The district's 2011 Growth rating was Good compared to its 2010 rating of Excellent. In 2010, the district received an Excellent rating for both Absolute and Growth. To further indicate how the district has progressed, its Absolute rating in 2009 was Average, while its Growth rating was At-Risk.

The state-generated district and school report cards are required by the Education Accountability Act of 1998.

"Our schools continue to perform above the national average on national tests, and we are preparing our students for the future," Lexington One Superintendent Karen Woodward said. "In fact, we expect them to develop a variety of other skills that are beyond the scope of what is currently measured by the state accountability system."

Lexington One schools have coalesced around an initiative called "LexLeads, LexLearns, LexLives. 

"LexLeads focuses on leadership development, not a position but a way of thinking, and the desire to make things better," according to Woodard. "LexLearns guides us as we move from a 20th century model of teaching to a modern, more effective focus on 21st century learning. We want our students to be self-reliant, sophisticated in learning, confident in academics and proficient in 21st century skills. We want them to think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, problem solve and collaborate. 

"LexLives, the third component, encourages healthy lifestyles as we strive to help our students get the most out of life," Woodward added. "Students learn that healthy bodies support healthy minds. They also come to realize that we have a responsibility to think about the impact we make on others and the environment."

Individual schools receive their own report cards

Five Lexington One schools improved their Absolute Rating, 19 maintained their Absolute Rating, one school declined one level and one new school was rated for the first time.

Of those same 26 schools, two improved their Growth Rating, 20 maintained, three declined one level and one new school was rated for the first time.

As with districts, each school in South Carolina could receive either an “Excellent,” “Good,” “Average,” “Below Average” or “At-Risk” mark or grade on their report card as an Absolute Rating and as a Growth Rating.

Fourteen Lexington One schools received an Absolute Rating of Excellent, six schools received Good Absolute Ratings and six schools received Average Absolute Ratings (met standard). No Lexington One elementary or middle schools received a Below Average or At-Risk Absolute Rating.

Lexington One schools' Growth ratings varied from Excellent to At-Risk. Ten Lexington One schools received Excellent Growth Ratings this year, six schools received Good Growth Ratings, eight schools received Average Growth Ratings (met standard), one school received a Below Average, and one school (Gilbert Primary School) received an "At-Risk" Growth Rating.

How the rest of the state fared

The number of school districts and schools statewide receiving an Excellent Absolute rating on the state’s School Report Card has increased since 2010, the Department of Education reported.

Eleven out of 86 school districts received an Excellent Absolute rating compared to six districts in 2010.

Abbeville, Darlington, Florence 5, Spartanburg 1 and Spartanburg 6 join York 4, Lexington 5, Anderson 1, Lexington 1, Greenwood 52, and York 2 in the list of districts who received an Excellent rating. The latter six districts received an Excellent rating in 2010 as well.

The number of districts receiving an Excellent or Good increased from 18 to 33 from 2010 to 2011, according to the state. Twenty-two districts earned a Good rating compared to 12 in 2010.

However, the number of districts rated At-Risk also increased by three from the six reported in 2010.

As for schools, 76 schools have been rated as Excellent in 2011 bringing the total number of schools to 318 or 27 percent of the state’s schools compared to 242 schools or 21 percent.

The number of elementary, middle and high schools receiving an Excellent rating increased from 2010 to 2011.

Elementary schools increased from 134 to 166; middle schools increased from 36 to 53; and high schools increased from 40 to 72.

At the other end of the ratings, the number of schools receiving an At-risk rating stayed the same at 69 schools. No primary schools received the rating.

Twenty-nine middle schools, an increase of two from 2010, are rated as At-risk, while 17 high schools and 23 elementary schools in the state also receive the rating. There was one less high and middle school in 2011.

Schools and districts also receive a rating for Growth. For 2011, 251 schools compared to 263 in 2010 received an Excellent rating. The number of schools that received an At-risk Growth rating has declined from 116 to 75.

There are more high schools and middle schools showing an Excellent Growth rating in 2011 at 42 schools and 54 schools, respectively, compared to 25 and 42 in 2010. There are less primary and elementary schools in 2011. Primary schools are at 3 in 2011 compared to 13 and elementary schools are at 152 schools compared to 183 in 2010.

As for the state’s on-time graduation rate, the score was 73.6 percent compared to 2010’s score of 72.1 percent. The state’s graduation rate was at it’s highest in 2003 at 78 percent.