Reports to support the 2014 SC Read to Succeed legislation as well as reports on other literacy and early learning endeavors. Early learning and literacy reports including CDEP, Reading Coaches, Reading Partners, State Reading Plan, Summer Reading Camp, Read to Succeed and links to the NIEER Yearbooks and SC Profile report.
This section includes annual reports for the Child Early Reading and Development Education Program (CERDEP, formerly CDEP), which was created and funded by the General Assembly beginning with a budget proviso in the Fiscal Year 2006–07. CERDEP provides full-day early childhood education for at-risk children who are four-years-old by September 1. The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) oversees implementation of CERDEP in public schools and South Carolina Office of First Steps to School Readiness (First Steps) oversees implementation in private childcare settings.
The 2016 Appropriations Act requires the SCDE to report on the coaching initiatives as required by ACT 284, Read to Succeed. This report includes the hiring/assignment of reading/literacy coaches by a school as well as the amount of funding to be used for Summer Reading Camp.
This report has been provided to the SCDE by Reading Partners. The Reading Partners organization is a non-profit group that assists communities with literacy. The goal is to establish reading centers at elementary schools in under-resourced communities. Reading Partners shall increase the number of reading interventions provided for students in low-performing schools in grades kindergarten through five.
The Read to Succeed Office provides an annual report to the General Assembly regarding the implementation of the South Carolina Read to Succeed Act and the State and the district's progress toward ensuring that at least ninety-five percent of all students are reading at grade level.
Section 59-155-130 of Act 284 requires the Read to Succeed Office at the South Carolina
Department of Education (SCDE) to monitor and report annually to the State Board of Education (SBE) on students identified as reading "significantly below grade level" and in danger of being retained in third grade, that must be offered the opportunity to attend their district's Read to Succeed summer reading camp (SRC).
In 2014, the South Carolina General Assembly passed Act 284, which established the Read to Succeed Act. In 2017, RMC Research Corporation conducted an evaluation study to better understand South Carolina stakeholders' perceptions of and experiences with Read to Succeed.
The State Preschool Yearbook is an annual publication of the National Institute for Early Education Research which has tracked the funding, access, and policies of state-funded preschool programs since the 2001-2002 school year. The Yearbook stated purpose is to improve the public’s knowledge and understanding of state efforts to expand the availability of high-quality education to young children in the 21st century.
The Early Childhood Development Collection System (ECDCS) was created in the fall of 2017. The SC Profile website is an important tool for parents, educators, policymakers, and the general public to use when determining whether programs for young children are fulfilling their promise. The ECDCS allows anyone to see information regarding the status of early childhood efforts, and will hopefully facilitate discussions as to how South Carolina can continue to improve opportunities for our youngest learners.
The panel evaluated the data that will be the most meaningful to educators, community members, lawmakers, and parents when it comes to charting a course for South Carolina’s early childhood efforts. This data system does not show individual data but does report achievements and growth of South Carolina’s children within the education and human services programs over a period of time.
