State of South Carolina
Office of the Governor
David M. Beasley
Governor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Contact: Gary Karr |
August 29, 1997 | 803/734-9840 |
(Columbia) -- Declaring himself a "dad on a mission," Governor David M. Beasley today proposed clear, rigorous standards for South Carolina students in the most crucial subjects schools now teach.
"This is the first major reform that actually gets through the classroom door and lands squarely on the desks of South Carolina schoolchildren," the Governor said today. "Behind all these initiatives is a simple premise: Students in South Carolina can do better. They deserve better. And the 21st century demands better."
The Governor, father of three children, said today that he was "a man on a mission. No, I'm more than just a man on a mission. I'm a dad on a mission."
Governor Beasley made his comments as he accepted the Performance and Accountability Standards for Schools (PASS) Commission report that outlines standards for each and every grade level.
The standards "are much more than just general guidelines," Governor Beasley said. "They're specific to each grade. They're easily measurable. And they're written in a way that teachers, parents and students can all understand."
For example, the report recommends for high school juniors that they be able to "read and analyze relationships among American literature, history and culture." Under that standard, the students should be able to "contrast periods in American literature ... describe the major themes" and a whole list of other concepts.
The 233-page report gives South Carolina "a road map for a whole new direction in South Carolina education," the Governor said.
PASS set out 10 recommendations. Summarized, they are:
Ä Schools should be measured on three variables: academic achievement, student conduct, and school drop outs.
Ä Uniform performance indicators should be written in conjunction with local School Improvement Councils to inform parents and the community about the schools.
Ä All students should go through an annual, end-of-year core subject assessment.
Ä Each school should get an annual report card on its performance in relation to national position and also one on how it has improved from the prior year.
Ä Schools should have a public recognition program for high levels of performance and high rates of improvement.
Ä "Transformational action" should take place for schools doing poorly, including changes in school renewal plan and the potential involvement of the State Board of Education.
Ä State statutes that direct school actions should be eliminated to reduce redundancy and ambiguity. This includes the area of performance evaluation.
Ä Academic content and performance standards should be reviewed on a cyclical basis.
Ä An aggressive public relations campaign must begin and be maintained to get parental and local support for the highest levels of student achievement.
The PASS Commission intentionally did not recommend to school districts how to reach the recommended standards. The Governor said local school officials -- "those who talk to and hear from and work with parents" -- know best how to reach the standards.
"This isn't just the PASS Commission's system to fix. And it's not just the Beasley Administration's or the General Assembly's. Ownership of education rests in the hands of the people," Governor Beasley said.
Governor Beasley, who has spent much time this year calling for a cultural reformation to reclaim moral responsibility and civic virtue, said the same reformation needed to take place in education.
That means parents have to take responsibility to make sure their children learn, including giving them the love and support they need to grow, and that educators have to declare that academics come first, Governor Beasley said.
"Today we are blazing a new trail in South Carolina education," the Governor said. "But we're paving that road not with more good intentions, but with world class standards."