The purpose of this memo is to provide guidance regarding South Carolina’s accreditation system for 2024–25. Pursuant to State Board of Education (SBE) Regulation 43-300, two accreditation options are available.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) Offices of Instructional Materials and Information Technology would like to confirm that for the 2024-2025 school year, the SCDE is procuring Canvas and Schoology Learning Management Systems (LMS) for districts that selected those in the previous survey. Districts that are using Google Classroom, Seesaw, and Microsoft Teams as their LMS will be reimbursed at $4.00 per student based on the student count.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is announcing the Archibald Rutledge Scholarship Program. This annual program offers twelfth-grade students in South Carolina’s public schools the opportunity to compete for a scholarship valued at approximately $2,000. The purpose of the competition is to encourage and recognize academic and artistic excellence in creative writing, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.

Due to the extensive impacts of Hurricane Helene, many districts across South Carolina are reevaluating their school calendars for the current school year. In response, the SCDE has released guidance detailing how districts can manage e-learning days, make-up hours and days, and waivers for missed instructional time.

The South Carolina Department of Education Office of Assessment and Standards will offer a free two-day train-the-trainer professional workshop for school based instructional leaders. Attendance will be limited to six (6) attendees per district. District teams should include a variety of school based instructional leaders such as teachers, coaches, department chairs, and special populations educators that represent each grade band. Sessions will consist of face-to-face experiences to focus on the 2025 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Mathematics Standards.

This memorandum will serve to provide information regarding the use of speech-language
pathology personnel for the purpose of providing services via telepractice. According to the
American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), telepractice is defined as “the
application of telecommunications technology to the delivery of speech language pathology and
audiology professional services at a distance by linking practitioner to client or practitioner to practitioner for assessment, intervention, and/or consultation.”

This memorandum contains important information regarding the Palmetto Math Project. The Palmetto Math Project was conceived out of an instructional need state-wide to increase mathematical achievement in underperforming schools. Underperforming schools, defined as one half or more of students in the Does Not Meet category on the 2024 SC READY Math assessment in the 5th and/or 8th grade, will work with SCDE Math Specialists to strengthen numeracy outcomes.

The South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology and Accessibility (OETA) along with the US Department of Education’s National Digital Accessibility Team will be offering free live virtual training opportunities for School Districts October 2024 through May 2025. All sessions will be held from 3:00 to 4:00 PM (EST) via the agency’s Access Academy virtual event platform. Participants can earn one continuing education unit per session. These sessions will not be recorded.

The Office of Early Learning and Literacy is dedicated to providing support and professional development opportunities to aid schools in better serving all students. We are pleased
to announce monthly PLOs for MTSS Coordinators and MTSS Leadership Teams beginning in November 2024 entitled MTSS Gather and Grow Collaboratives. These sessions will support Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) implementation in districts and schools.

The 45-day membership collection will open on October 24, 2024, and close November 12, 2024. The links provided below will update daily and reflect the data published by the district from PowerSchool to EdFi before 8 pm each day. You can submit revised data during the
collection period and retrieve updated reports.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announces that the 2025 Request for Proposals for the Arts Curricular Innovation Grants (ACIG)—Arts Teacher Institutes grant is now available online. Approximately $519,000 in funding will be distributed on a competitive basis for 15 Arts Teacher Institutes. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2024.

In our work to field questions from classroom teachers, librarians, school administrators, district administrators, and school board members over the last few months, a number of recurring questions have arisen. Accordingly, the SCDE has compiled this helpful Educator Guidance and FAQ, reflecting our desire to partner with educators to provide clarity and promote common sense while protecting students from materials that are not age or developmentally appropriate.

Understanding the destruction and ongoing challenges that Hurricane Helene has caused across our state, we would like to offer a solution to the concerns we have received regarding the December 1, 2024, deadline for annual audit submissions. While the deadline for submissions will remain December 1, 2024, as stated by law, the Department will accept annual audit submissions up through December 16, 2024, without consequence of an automatic elevated risk assessment.

During the 2023-24 school year, the updated version of WIDA Alternate ACCESS was
administered to multilingual learners (MLs) who qualify for alternate assessments in grades K-
12. Due to this update, WIDA performed a standards setting, and WIDA Alternate ACCESS was
rescaled. The scale scores on Alternate ACCESS from the 2023-24 administration are not
directly comparable to scale scores from the 2022-23 administration.

Effective October 1, 2024, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) increased the Special Needs Transportation (SNT) reimbursement rate to $29.06 per trip. The rate increase will apply to SNT claims submitted on or after October 1, 2024. This is the first SNT rate increase since fiscal year 2010.

It is likely that many students in South Carolina will be displaced due to the impact of Hurricane Helene. The purpose of this memo is to remind districts of the requirements of the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act (Act) and the district’s responsibilities in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Children and youth who have been displaced because of Hurricane Helene are eligible for McKinney-Vento (MV) under the Act.

Following the impact of Hurricane Helene, we sincerely hope you, your students, and staff are safe, secure, and well. The Office of School Facilities (OSF) is reaching out to assist you and let you know of special provisions for handling emergency repairs in your school facilities due to hurricane damage.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announces that the 2024 Request for Proposals for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance subgrant is now available online. Up to $168,118 in funding is available and the deadline to apply is November 15, 2024.

The South Carolina Department of Education is aware of misplaced concerns and misinformation about S.C. Code of Reg. 43-170 (Uniform Procedure for Selection or Reconsideration of Instructional Materials) and its relationship to potential disciplinary actions against educators.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is pleased to announce the 2024-25 School Garden and Education Assistance Program. The program will be administered by Clemson Extension’s School Gardening for SC Educators. School Gardening for SC Educators is a program offered and facilitated by the Clemson University Extension. By sponsoring the School Gardening for SC Educators program, the SCDE is supporting the capacity of schools and school districts in South Carolina to implement and expand agriculture and nutrition education through school gardening.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) announces that the 2025–26 Request for Proposals for the Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) Preparing College- and Career-Ready Graduates grant program is now available online. Approximately $1.5 million in funding will be distributed on a competitive basis and the deadline to apply is November 14, 2024.

As we begin the 2024-2025 school year, it is essential that we update key information and continue to ensure compliance with instructional materials requirements. This memo outlines important actions that need to be taken regarding instructional materials, technology contacts, and payments, as well as providing updates on onsite visits and the instructional materials adoption process.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, we at the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) extend our heartfelt concern to those affected across the state. We recognize the difficult balance between ensuring student safety and meeting instructional mandates during this time, and we are committed to supporting you as you navigate these decisions.