The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) program is a statewide assessment in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies administered to students in grades 3–8 as required by the Education Accountability Act (EAA). The EAA was amended in 2018 to shorten testing by reducing the number of grade levels tested in social studies to grades 5 and 7 and for science to grades 4, 6, and 8.
For the 2025-26 school year, Proviso 1.72 of the General Appropriations Bill suspended testing of grade 8 in science and grades 5 and 7 in social studies. As a result, students will be assessed in grades 4 and 6 in science. SC READY social studies will not be assessed in grades 3-8 during the 2025-26 school year.
Assessment Information and Resources
SC READY test items are aligned to the standards for each subject and grade level. Standards specify what schools are expected to teach and what students are expected to learn. Academic standards also include indicators that are statements of the specific cognitive processes and the content knowledge and skills that students must demonstrate to meet the grade-level standards. SC READY test items are written to assess the content knowledge and skills described in the academic standards and indicators.
* The SC READY assessments are not timed. The provided times are approximations and are provided to assist with assessment scheduling.
Online Tools Training (OTT)
Online Testing Video Tutorials, with step-by-step instructions on how to use the online testing system are available to districts on the DRC INSIGHT Portal. The Tutorials are under the Tutorial and Training section. Schools should review these tutorials with students in advance of testing.
The Online Tools Training (OTT) module on the DRC INSIGHT Portal simulates the testing environment and allows students to practice using the testing software and the tools available to students during testing, such as the highlighter, magnifier, and Desmos calculator. Schools should review the OTT with students in advance of testing. A DRC INSIGHT account is not needed to access the OTT.
Administration Information
Administration Documents
Key Dates for 2025-26
Updated August 2025
| Date |
Event |
Description |
| August 13, 2025 |
Technology Coordinator Webinar |
This webinar provides district and school technology leaders with essential updates, guidance, and best practices to ensure smooth and secure implementation of South Carolina’s online assessment programs. This webinar is designed for District Technology Coordinators, school‑level technology staff, and anyone involved in preparing technology infrastructure for South Carolina’s statewide assessments. |
| August 15, 2025 |
Waiver Requests |
Waiver requests for SC READY allow public and charter schools to seek flexibility when they cannot meet required assessment conditions. Schools may request waivers to use paper testing if they are unable to meet the technical requirements of online testing, or request extensions to the state‑mandated testing window when emergencies, scheduling barriers, or system disruptions prevent timely administration. |
| February 11, 2026 |
Precode Data Collection (print file) |
Completed before the ordering of testing materials and is essential for creating correct student rosters, accommodations, labels, and reports. |
| February 25, 2026 |
Precode Data Collection (update file) |
Completed after initial processing to capture new students, transfers, or changes to student accommodations or demographic data. Errors in precode can result in missing or incorrect testing assignments, delays in setting up accommodations, and problems with final reporting. |
| January 5 - January 23, 2026 |
DRC INSIGHT Ordering Window |
The designated period when South Carolina districts review enrollment data and place orders for any required paper-based testing materials for the SC READY assessment program. This window ensures that schools receive all necessary testing materials—such as test booklets, answer documents, and accommodated formats—based on the most current and accurate student data. |
| March 4, 2026 |
Pretest Workshop Webinar for DTCs |
A required statewide training session designed to prepare districts for the successful administration of SC READY. This webinar is held prior to the testing window and provides DTCs with essential guidance on procedures, security, logistics, and data integrity. |
| March 12 or March 19, 2026 |
Pretest Workshop Webinar for STCs |
The SC READY Pretest Workshop for School Test Coordinators (STCs) is a required training session designed to ensure that all school‑level testing staff are fully prepared to administer the SC READY assessments securely, consistently, and in compliance with state policy. This workshop provides detailed instruction on test administration procedures, accommodations, scheduling, and the responsibilities of school‑based staff. |
| March 26, 2026 |
Student and Test Management available for online testing |
This access period is essential because it allows District Test Coordinators (DTCs) and School Test Coordinators (STCs) to finalize all student‑level setup tasks ahead of the online testing window, including verifying student enrollment, student demographic information, and verifying accommodations based on IEPs, 504 Plans, or ILAPs. |
| March 26, 2026 |
Test materials arrive in districts |
Answer documents, test booklets, and accommodated materials ordered during the initial ordering window arrive in the scheduled shipment. |
| March 27 - May 28, 2026 |
Additional Materials Window |
Place orders for any additional required paper-based testing materials for the SC READY assessment program. |
| May 30, 2026 |
Deadline for Scorable Materials Return |
The timely return of materials ensures DRC can begin scoring promptly, prevents delays in data file delivery and student reports, and helps maintain statewide consistency and test security compliance. |
| On or before July 15, 2026 |
Data Files, ISRs, Rosters, and Summaries posted to DRC INSIGHT Portal |
DRC uploads district and school results to the DRC INSIGHT Portal as part of the statewide reporting process. These posted files provide districts with the full set of student performance data needed for review, analysis, and any required follow‑up actions. |
| On or before July 30, 2026 |
Districts receive printed ISRs, student labels, and User Guides |
DRC ships printed Individual Student Reports (ISRs), student labels, and User Guides to districts as part of the final reporting process. This shipment marks the final stage of the SC READY reporting cycle and supports districts in completing end‑of‑year documentation and communication. |
Student Participation
All public-school students in grades three through eight must be tested with SC READY, except those who qualify to participate in South Carolina Alternate Assessment (SC-Alt) for students with significant cognitive disabilities. To meet federal accountability requirements, the SC READY in English Language Arts, mathematics, and science must be administered to all students.
Please refer to the section titled “Student Participation Guidelines” in the most recent Test Administration Manual for updated guidance on testing special groups of students (e.g., students with disabilities, homebound, homebased, etc.).
Online Testing Requirements
The Education Accountability Act (EAA) requires statewide tests to be administered online in grades 3-8. However, paper-based testing is available for students with disabilities who cannot take online assessments due to their disabilities as specified in their IEP or 504 plans, and for multilingual learners (MLs) if specified in their Individualized Language Acquisition Plan (ILAP).
The Technology Technical Assistance Proviso (Proviso 1.57) in the General Appropriations Bill for FY 2025–26 allows districts and public charter schools to request a waiver from the State Board of Education (SBE) to administer the tests on paper. Additionally, districts may complete a waiver request to administer the SC READY TDW (text dependent writing) test on paper for third-and fourth-grade students (at a cost to districts).
Additional information on the waivers was provided to districts in the Waivers for SC READY for 2025-26 Memorandum. The deadline to submit waiver requests was August 15, 2025 and the window has closed to make these requests.
Testing Window
- Online Test Window: Last twenty (20) days of school as determined by the district’s instructional calendar.
- Paper Test Window: First ten (10) days of each district’s twenty-day testing window as determined by the district’s instructional calendar.
- ALL paper testing for SC READY must be completed by the 10th day of the district’s twenty-day window. A district that receives a waiver for both paper testing and to extend the testing window, may administer paper tests in the first ten days of their standard twenty-day window as well as in the additional days granted by waiver prior to that window.
- Both Reading Part A and Reading Part B for 3rd grade must be completed during the first five days of the testing window to support the accelerated reporting schedule (for the preliminary rosters) needed for Read to Succeed.
- ALL answer documents containing students’ responses must be shipped overnight to the contractor within three days of the completion of paper testing, but shipped no later than May 30 for arrival on June 2.
Embargo and Release of Results
All summary test score data for each statewide assessment program is embargoed until the SCDE’s public release for that program. Summary data may be shared with district and school staff members (e.g., district office personnel, school principals, etc.) who understand that the data are not to be shared publicly until after the official statewide release.
The embargo extends to local school boards because data presented to a local board becomes public information under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. Districts should ensure that staff members understand that embargoed information cannot be shared with members of the media, school board members, or social media. Informal conversations with individual board members are acceptable.
Test results are provided on the Test Scores Webpage each year once the embargo is lifted and the state data is released.
Schools may provide the Individual Student Reports to parents or guardians as soon as they are received since these individual reports do not include any summary data. The individual scores may be shared with teachers, principals, etc. within a school.
Reporting of Results
SC READY test results are reported in terms of scale scores, performance levels, and performance by standard. Performance levels reflect the continuum of knowledge and skills exhibited by students and are useful for evaluating a school’s overall performance.
The SC READY test results are one of the measures used in calculating the Report Card Absolute Ratings, Growth Ratings, and federal accountability status. Test results are provided on the Test Scores web page each year once the embargo is lifted and the state data is released. Districts may release score results for individual students to schools, teachers, parents, and students as soon as the reports—including ISRs—are available. Individual student results are not embargoed prior to the state release of summary results.
Cut Scores for 2025-26
The following tables display the scale score ranges that correspond to the four overall performance levels (Does Not Meet, Approached, Meets, Exceeds) for grades 3–8 in ELA and math and grades 4 & 6 for science.
English Language Arts (ELA) Vertical Scale Score Ranges
ELA Vertical Scale Score Ranges
| Grade |
Does Not Meet |
Approaches |
Meets |
Exceeds |
| 3 |
100-359 |
360-453 |
454-540 |
541-825 |
| 4 |
100-419 |
420-490 |
491-602 |
603-850 |
| 5 |
100-464 |
465-524 |
525-631 |
632-875 |
| 6 |
100-470 |
471-550 |
551-645 |
646-900 |
| 7 |
100-509 |
510-567 |
568-663 |
664-925 |
| 8 |
100-526 |
527-593 |
594-686 |
687-950 |
Mathematics Vertical Scale Score Ranges
Scale scores for mathematics will be provided after Standards Setting is completed in June 2026.
Science Vertical Scale Score Ranges
Science Vertical Scale Score Ranges
| Grade |
Does Not Meet |
Approaches |
Meets |
Exceeds |
| 4 |
100-447 |
448-505 |
506-585 |
586-850 |
| 6 |
100-460 |
461-523 |
524-606 |
607-900 |
The SC READY Information for Parents Webpage includes translated documents such as the SC READY Student and Parent Assessment Brochure, Writer's Checklist, and Sample Individual Student Reports. These documents are translated into ten different languages. These assessment documents are available for parents and/or guardians in alternate formats, such as large print, Braille, languages other than English, and oral translation. Additional resources such as information regarding FERPA, Personally Identifiable Information, and Lexile and Quantile measures are also provided on this webpage.
Parents with disabilities and parents who may not speak or read English may request alternate formats of these documents or request other accommodations by completing the Student and Parent Resources Alternate Request Form, or by contacting ResourceRequests@ed.sc.gov.
