News Releases

February 11, 2021
South Carolina Department of Education Seeking Partners for Summer Food Service Program: The South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Health and Nutrition (OHN) is offering local government agencies, school districts, faith-based and private nonprofit organizations an opportunity to provide summer meals to children by becoming a sponsor or a summer meal site for its Summer Meals Program. This program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the South Carolina Department of Education to serve healthy meals to children during the summer months when school is not in session.

February 8, 2021
South Carolina Students Selected for United States Senate Youth Program: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced two South Carolina high school students have been selected as delegates to the 59th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) that will be held March 14–18, 2021.

February 5, 2021
S.C. Department of Education and Partners Provide African American History Resources to Classrooms: Today, the South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina ETV (SCETV), and the University of South Carolina's Center for Civil Rights History and Research announce the release of standards based African American history content to classrooms across the state.

January 29, 2021
2021 School Garden and Education Assistance Program Awardees Announced: The South Carolina Department of Education has announced the recipients for the 2021 School Garden and Education Assistance Program. The program, created in 2018, is administered by Clemson Extension’s School Gardening for South Carolina Educators.

January 12, 2021
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman Highlights Legislative Priorities for 2021: Today, ahead of the South Carolina General Assembly's start of the 2021 legislative session, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman released the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) legislative priorities for 2021. The priorities come with recommended actions including those that are part of the agency’s annual budget request submitted in September 2020. The safe and expedient return of students for face to face instruction remains at the forefront of the SCDE's agenda.

December 17, 2020
State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman Statement on 2020 Educator Supply and Demand Report: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman released the following statement in response to the release of the 2020 Educator Supply and Demand Report by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA).

December 14, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education to Support School Re-Opening with $84 Million in Funding: Today, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced that it will provide $84,264,890 in additional federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) funding to all eighty one public school districts. The funding can be used for four specific purposes including safety measures and personal protective equipment, hiring of school nurses, hiring staff to provide one on one instruction and support services for struggling students, and technology equipment to support online learning.

November 10, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education to Provide Students and Educators with Integrated Digital Learning Solution: Today, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced the purchase and rollout of a robust, integrated digital learning solution that will support teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout the immediate future.

November 9, 2020
2021 South Carolina African American History Calendar and Honorees Unveiled: Today, the South Carolina Department of Education and statewide partners unveiled the 2021 South Carolina African American History Calendar.

October 30, 2020
2020 South Carolina School Report Cards Released: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) released school, district, and state report cards reflective of the unprecedented 2019-2020 school year.

October 28, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education Launches New Statewide Program to Engage Students and Families: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced a new program that will support students who need help navigating the challenges of COVID-19 learning environments.

October 22, 2020
South Carolina Class of 2020 Sees Dip in ACT Performance: The ACT® has released assessment data for the 2020 South Carolina high school graduates who took the ACT test. Graduates from South Carolina public schools saw a decrease in average composite scores from 18.6 in 2019 to 18.1 in 2020. Additionally, 22% of graduates met three or four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks down from 24% in 2019.

October 20, 2020
South Carolina Among Nation's Leaders in Computer Science Education: Code.org, the Computer Science Teacher Association, and the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance, released the 2020 State of Computer Science Education report. The report shows South Carolina continues to be on the cutting edge in Computer Science policy and as a result, student participation is among the fastest growing in the nation.

October 13, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education Funds Over $33 Million in Protective Equipment and Supplies for All School Districts: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced today at River Springs Elementary School that the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) will purchase and distribute over $33 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies to all eighty one public school districts to support efforts to maintain and return to face to face instruction.

October 7, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education Awarded $31.5 Million Charter School Grant: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced that South Carolina will receive a new grant award of more than $31.5 million over the course of the next five years from the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter School Programs (CSP). The funding will be used to expand existing public charter schools and open new ones across the state.

September 24, 2020
Six South Carolina Schools Receive National Blue Ribbon School Honors: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recognized six South Carolina schools nominated by State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020. The recognition is based on schools' overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

September 11, 2020
South Carolina's Class of 2020 Outperforms Nation on Advanced Placement, SAT Scores Remain Steady Despite COVID-19: The College Board has released national and South Carolina specific results for their SAT and Advanced Placement assessments. South Carolina students again exceeded the nation on eight out of the top ten tested subjects of Advanced Placement exams. 64% of South Carolina public school graduates from the Class of 2020 took the SAT during high school mirroring the Class of 2019.

August 25, 2020
South Carolina Department of Education Releases Assessment Waiver Survey for Public Input: The South Carolina Department of Education released an online survey for public input on the requested assessment waiver to the United States Department of Education. As required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the SCDE must provide public notice and give an opportunity for public input on the waiver request.

August 11, 2020
South Carolina Offers Free Training to Support Teachers and Principals with Virtual Instruction: The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announced a new option for teachers and principals to receive free online training that will equip them to provide effective virtual instruction. The training is available for up to 6,000 educators over the course of 2020-21 and is being funded by part the SCDE's federal CARES Act allocation.

August 10, 2020
State Superintendent Molly Spearman Approves Fourteen School District Reopening Plans: State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced the approval of fourteen school district reopening plans. The additional approved plans brings the total to 81 meaning that reopening plans every South Carolina public school district as well as the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, S.C. Governor's School for Arts and Humanities, John De La Howe School of Agriculture, and S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind have been approved.