The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Since that time, the program has honored more than 8,000 high school seniors on the basis of outstanding scholarship. For most of the program’s existence, nominees have been recognized based upon SAT or ACT scores, but as the program evolved, candidates have been recognized in other ways. Since 2013, Chief State School Officers have been invited to nominate candidates from their states for the Academic/General Component category, and in 2016, outstanding students who demonstrated excellence in Career and Technical Education (CTE) were included for recognition.

The State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the policy, as required by Proviso 1.103 in the South Carolina 2024-2025 budget. In doing so, the State has taken a practical step toward providing students and teachers the freedom to focus on learning.

The South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology and Accessibility (OETA) and Office of Special Education Services (OSES) will be offering free, in-person training opportunities for School Districts October through December 2024.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) Office of School Facilities (OSF) requests the completion of this survey. Please submit your responses by Friday, September 20, 2024.

This memorandum further clarifies the topics covered in the April 2, 2024, memorandum titled “Case-by-Case Consideration of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy Access in Schools.” The original memo addressed concerns raised by several parents regarding requests to allow ABA services within the school environment by an outside provider as part of a therapeutic plan covered by the parents' insurance or another medical coverage source.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SC DHHS) is seeking updated information regarding the mental health services available within your schools.

This memorandum is to provide an update regarding a previous memorandum, Multilingual Learner English Proficiency or Reclassification Criterion Proposal. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) submitted 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).

The Read to Succeed Act of 2014 required the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), with the approval of the State Board of Education (SBE), to develop, implement, evaluate, and continuously refine a comprehensive state plan for prekindergarten through grade twelve to improve reading achievement. The South Carolina State Reading Plan was developed to guide the support of the SCDE for districts and schools. The South Carolina State Reading Plan also provided guidance to district and school plans as they worked to support the reading and writing development of their students with research-based, outcomes-oriented strategies. The SBE approved the South Carolina State Reading Plan on June 10, 2015, and is currently being updated, as required by the revised Read to Succeed legislation, Act 114.

To meet EEDA requirements, districts must submit Career Specialist Accountability Reports (CSAR) twice annually and update Individual Graduation Plans for students in grades 8–12 by the specified deadlines. Ensure your district’s EEDA Accountability Coordinator is updated in the District and Entity Information Management (DEIM) system.