The End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) is a statewide assessment program of end-of-course tests for gateway courses awarded units of credit in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The EOCEP encourages instruction in the specific standards for the courses, encourages student achievement, and documents the level of students’ mastery of the academic standards.
To meet federal accountability requirements, the EOCEP in English/language arts, mathematics, and science must be administered to all public school students, including those students as required by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and by Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
To receive a South Carolina high school diploma, students are required to pass a high school credit course in science and a high school credit course in United States history in which the state’s end-of-course examinations are administered. Currently these courses are Biology 1 (science) and United States History and the Constitution (social studies).
Gateway courses in English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies will be defined by the State Board of Education. EOCEP examination scores count 20 percent in the calculation of the student’s final grade in gateway courses. Defined gateway courses currently include Algebra 1, Intermediate Algebra, Biology 1, and English 2, or courses with other names and activity codes in which the academic
standards corresponding to these subjects are taught. For the 2021–2022 school year only, the scores from the EOCEP United History and the Constitution (USHC) test will not count 20 percent of the student’s final course grade. The 20% requirement for USHC will resume for the fall/winter 2022–2023 administration.
