Performance results released by the South Carolina Department of Education for the 2023-2024 school year indicate that Horry County Schools consistently outperformed the state on three major standardized state assessments: SC READY, the End-of-Course Examination Program, and the SC Career Ready Test.
SC READY is the standardized state assessment for English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science for grades 3-8, and it is administered each spring. Achievement levels are reported as “Exceeds Standard,” “Meets Standard,” “Approaches Standard,” or “Does Not Meet Standard” in all areas tested.
Due to recent changes in the state science standards, the SC READY Science assessment results will not be used for accountability on the 2024 SC Report Card.
The percentage of HCS students scoring at the highest performance levels (Meets or Exceeds Standard) on the ELA portion was 6.5 percentage points higher than the state.
In mathematics, the percentage of HCS students scoring at the highest performance levels (Meets or Exceeds Standard) was 7.2 percentage points higher than the state.
Click here to view the SC Ready Results.
The End-of-Course Examination Program (EOCEP) measures achievement in four core high school courses: Algebra I, Biology, English II, and U.S. History and Constitution. Results are used in calculating state accountability ratings for high schools. To meet federal accountability requirements, schools must administer End-of-Course tests to all public high school students, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners, by the third year of high school. Middle school students taking more rigorous courses may take Algebra I as early as seventh grade.
Newly released results show the district’s mean scale scores surpassed the state on all four End-of-Course tests, with gains reported in three of the four tests over the previous year’s average.
In Algebra I, 88.3% of district students passed the exam, nearly seven percentage points higher than last year’s scores. The state’s average passage rate in Algebra I is 72.5%.
In Biology, 71.9% of district students passed the exam, compared to the state passage rate of 62.9%. In 2023-2024, HCS’s student passing rate increased by 2.6 percentage points over 2022-2023 scores.
In English II, HCS students posted an 87.7% passage rate, up over half a percentage point from last year’s scores. The state passage rate for the English II test is 85.8%.
HCS students' passage rate in U.S. History and Constitution was 71.5%, compared to 58.8% for the state.
Click here to view the EOCEP results.
The South Carolina Career Ready Test is a career readiness test administered to all third-year high school students. Students are assessed in four areas: soft skills and three employability skills (math, reading, and data). Together, the four assessments measure the most common transferable skills that employers nationwide have defined as foundational for career readiness.
The three employability skills assessments are assigned a scale score and an achievement level score from 1 to 5 based on the U.S. Department of Labor O*NET Job Zones. Credentials are issued for students who score at achievement levels 2-5. A student must score a level 3 or higher to be considered career-ready. Level 3 careers typically require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate degree; level 4 careers typically require a four-year bachelor’s degree; level 5 careers typically require graduate school.
Of the 3,489 Horry County students who completed all three employability skills assessments during the 2023-2024 school year, 78.7% received a credential, with 61.3% designated as Career-Ready based on scoring a Level 3 or higher. Statewide, only 72.2% of students received a credential, with 52.9% earning achievement level 3 or higher.
On the specific subject tests, Horry County students consistently scored better than the state as well. On the math assessment, 66.4% of Horry County students scored at level 3 or higher, compared to the state’s 57.9%. On the data test, 75.9% of our students scored at level 3 or higher, while the state’s level 3 and higher rate was 68.5%. On the reading test, 76.7% of HCS students scored at level 3 or higher. The state’s reading test scores were 71.2% at level 3 or higher.
Click here to view the Career Ready Test results.
