The documentation requirements for Home School issued by South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) created two different sets of expectations. One set of requirements focused on compliance with Compulsory Attendance and a less rigorous set of expectations were required for exemption from Graduation rate calculations.

Please contact Dan Ralyea at Dralyea@ed.sc.gov with any questions.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announces that the 2023–24 Request for Proposals for the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) Preparing College- and Career-Ready Graduates grant program is now available online.

For more information about this EEDA program, contact Tiffany Dorsey at 803-734-1650, tldorsey@ed.sc.gov.

The South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) Office of Early Learning and Literacy (OELL) is pleased to announce some exciting opportunities for South Carolina families of early learners.

For questions about the LECs or the family engagement sessions please contact Wendy Burgess at wburgess@ed.sc.gov or 803-734-5858.

The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children requests your assistance in identifying and quantifying job vacancies across your school district.

If you have any questions or concerns while completing the survey, please contact Shealy Reibold at shealyreibold@sc.edu or 803-777-1979.

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide clarifying information about school calendars as plans are being considered for the 2023–24 school year.

If you have questions about the use of eLearning days, please contact Tammy Hegler at tthegler@ed.sc.gov or Rebecca Velasquez at rvelasquez@ed.sc.gov. For questions regarding school calendars, contact CR Hall at chall@ed.sc.gov.

The Office of Career and Technical Education and Student Transition Services (OCTESTS) has provided the WIN Learning Career Readiness Courseware Suite for all school districts to assist students in grades 9–12 with preparation for the state’s Career Readiness Assessment.

Please contact me at qmoore@ed.sc.gov or via office phone at 803-734-1426 or cell phone at 803-457-1713, if you have questions regarding this information.

The purpose of this memorandum is to inform the districts of the recent model policy adopted by the State Board of Education on January 17, 2023, regarding unencumbered time.

For additional information or guidance, please contact Kenzie Riddle at emriddle@ed.sc.gov.

The chart linked in the memo below identifies Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses that offer an end-of-course assessment that can be utilized for dual credit opportunities or Advance Placement (AP) exam.

Please contact Andrew Cook (Computer Science), acook@ed.sc.gov; BT Martin (Engineering), BTMartin@ed.sc.gov; Angel Clark (Biomedical Sciences), Aclark@ed.sc.gov; or via phone at 803-734-8444 should you have questions regarding this information.

The Office of Assessment and Standards (OAS) assembled a committee of Life Science classroom teachers to create courses for the Biology Content section of the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021.

If you have any questions, contact Lark Widener at clwidener@ed.sc.gov.

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updates regarding allocations under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The U.S. Department of Education (USED) will use the 2021 Census data to calculate school year (SY) 2023–24 allocations under Title I, Part A.

Please contact Jennifer Rhodes at jrhodes@ed.sc.gov or 803-734-8110 with any questions.

The State Board of Education (SBE) has approved the subject areas that will have instructional materials reviewed and adopted for the 2023 adoption cycle. Instructional Materials Review Panels will be created for these subject areas according to the SBE regulations.

Your recommendations need to be submitted by email to OIMinfo@ed.sc.gov by February 10, 2023.

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

Should you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact Kathy Hugg, SC DHHS Program Manager, at Kathy.Hugg@scdhhs.gov.

The Office of Early Learning and Literacy (OELL) invites you to attend the Leaders Making Readers Literacy Conference on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

If you have questions regarding registration or conference sessions, please contact Marie Gibbons at mgibbons@ed.sc.gov, Taylor Seale at tseale@ed.sc.gov, or Jakki Wiseman at jwiseman@ed.sc.gov.

South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of the Army to provide directory information in compliance with Section 8025 of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Contact Dan Ralyea at dralyea@ed.sc.gov with questions.

In keeping with its mission to provide technology technical assistance to districts, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is offering virtual training on digital accessibility February 22 and 23, 2023, four hours each day. This training is at no cost to districts.

For additional information, contact Valarie Byrd, vbyrd@ed.sc.gov.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and the United States Department of Education-Office for Civil Rights (USED-OCR) will conduct a series on digital accessibility virtual training sessions. Through live demonstrations, participants will learn how to identify and remedy various digital accessibility barriers to provide equitable access for individuals with disabilities. This training is offered at no cost to districts and participants can earn one Continuing Education Unit (CEU) per session. These sessions will not be recorded.

For additional information, contact Valarie Byrd, vbyrd@ed.sc.gov.