Principals play an essential role in attracting, selecting, developing, and retaining top talent. All students deserve access to excellent teaching, but providing that access in this moment can require finding new and innovative approaches and deepening the use of our most impactful talent strategies. The South Carolina Department of Education is partnering with the Urban Schools Human Capital Academy (USHCA) to provide principals support through a year-long cohort, the SC Human Capital Principal Network. 90-minute, virtual sessions begin in August 2023.

If you would like more information or have questions, see the attached flyer or email Gerard Edwards, gedwards@ed.sc.gov.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is proposing an amendment to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Consolidated State Plan to update the English proficiency or reclassification criteria, often referred to as the ‘exit’ criteria for multilingual learners (MLs). Currently, these proficiency criteria are a composite score of 4.4+ and a 4.0+ on all four domains (i.e., Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) on the annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, WIDA ACCESS. As outlined below, the proposed changes are being submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USED) for approval. The current proficiency criteria remain in effect while federal approval of this request is pending.

For more information or questions, please contact Susan Murphy in the Office of Federal and State Accountability at SMurphy@ed.sc.gov or 803-734-1601.

This memorandum is to provide key reminders related to the requirements related to the Davis-Bacon Act under the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Programs.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Emergency Programs at scesser@ed.sc.gov or the Office of School Facilities at schoolfacilities@ed.sc.gov with any questions or concerns regarding your obligations under the Davis-Bacon Act.

South Carolina Proviso 1A.62 (Kindergarten and Pre-K Start Dates) states: A district superintendent or charter school authorizer may submit a request to the department to waive the minimum one hundred eighty day school attendance requirement for CERDEP and kindergarten students for the purpose of scheduling assessments. Upon approval of the waiver request, the approved school may stagger administering the assessments to CERDEP and kindergarten students during the first five days of the academic year.

Please contact the following individuals for questions:
• Abbey Duggins, asduggins@ed.sc.gov, for questions related to this proviso;
• Meghan Walters, mgwalters@ed.sc.gov, for questions related to the administration of CERDEP assessments and the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA); and
• Dan Ralyea, dralyea@ed.sc.gov, for questions about PowerSchool or school setups.

SCDE’s Office of Governmental Affairs closely monitors legislation impacting public education. Below is a summary of the legislation that has passed in this first year of the two-year legislative session.

For more information, please contact Phillip Cease at 803-734-0183 or phcease@ed.sc.gov.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and State Board of Education would like to recognize all 2023 district retirees. In recognition of the retirees’ years of service, the SCDE will mail a letter of appreciation and certificate to each retiree.

If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Brown at 803-734-8298 or tjbrown@ed.sc.gov.

Please see the attached Frequently Asked Questions regarding H. 3908, Paid Parental Leave for Educators, signed into law by Governor McMaster. This act takes effect on June 26, 2023.

For any additional questions please contact Phillip Cease at phcease@ed.sc.gov or (803) 734-0183.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announces that the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Stronger Connections Discretionary Subgrant is now available online. Approximately $14,500,000 in funding will be distributed on a competitive basis and the deadline to apply is August 10, 2023.

For more information about the Stronger Connections Subgrant Program, contact Kimberly Smith at 803-734-8113, strongerconnections@ed.sc.gov.