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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SC must address reasons why a diploma doesn't guarantee success after high school
While South Carolina's rising graduation rate is positive, recent reports raise important questions about changes in the value of those diplomas, writes Patrick Kelly with the state Palmetto State Teachers Association. (Stock photo via Getty Images) In an era where change is seemingly constant, the high school graduation ceremony remains a largely unchanged part of the American education experience. While audience noise levels have definitely increased, ceremonies are defined by much that is familiar: the playing of 'Pomp and Circumstance,' the smiles of graduates and tears of families, the tossing of caps, and, most significantly, the awarding of diplomas. If recent trends hold true, more of those diplomas will be distributed this year than ever before. According to data from the South Carolina School Report Cards, the statewide high school graduation rate has increased from 80.3% in 2015 to 85.4% in 2024. (That's the percent earning a diploma four years after entering high school.) While this trajectory for the number of diplomas awarded is positive, recent reports raise important questions about changes in the value of those diplomas. For example, the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study found 12th graders selected to participate in the 2019 NAEP administration had, on average, a higher GPA and earned more course credits than graduating seniors in 2009. Yet, as measured by NAEP, 2019 graduates demonstrated no improvement in science and lower achievement in math compared to the 2009 cohort of students. As an educator and parent, I find this apparent disconnect between core markers of student achievement troubling but not completely surprising. Teachers, universities, the military, and employers have been sounding the alarm in recent years about the declining readiness of graduates for life beyond high school. In response, policymakers are considering actions ranging from offering collegiate remedial coursework during high school to creating a 'tiered credential' system to demonstrate student readiness for the workforce. These programs are well-intentioned and can be beneficial for students, but ultimately, they are more akin to a doctor that focuses on treating symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of illness. In this instance, curing the disease requires addressing reasons why a high school diploma does not always guarantee readiness for employment, enlistment, or enrollment in higher education. Such action must start with continuing to reverse our state's persistent educator shortages. South Carolina experienced encouraging progress in this area this school year through increased salaries and the passage of policies to improve educator working conditions. Even still, this school year opened with more than 1,000 teacher-less classrooms, a number that is almost certainly underreported. At the start of the spring, I talked with one Midlands-area high school math teacher that had been assigned to 'grade' the work of nearly 40 students in an adaptive online math program where the students never interacted with the teacher. These types of classroom settings are certain to lead to the awarding of credits on the basis of limited academic substance and content mastery. South Carolina also must address excessive rates of student absenteeism. According to the Education Oversight Committee, nearly one quarter of students were absent for more than 18 days during the 2023-24 school year. Not surprisingly, measures of student achievement consistently demonstrate a strong correlation between chronic absenteeism and lower student performance rates. In response, too many schools across the state offer 'credit recovery' programs without meaningful instruction so students can 'make up' absences. Such an arrangement most likely contributes to the 15% of parents who believe students should be able to 'frequently miss' school. While no single policy can reverse this trend, states like Rhode Island are experiencing promising results from a comprehensive mix of policies and community engagement. Once students are in class consistently, action is needed to maximize instructional time. An important step was taken this year with the Department of Education's 'Free to Focus' cellphone policy. Further steps require addressing the high rates of persistent 'disruptive (student) behaviors' reported by the 2023 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force and diminishing instructional time lost to district- and state-mandated assessments and surveys. In our state, current required assessments can disrupt more than 10% of instructional days for the average sixth grade student. Finally, any effort to enhance the value of a high school diploma must address the rigor, relevance, and validity of grading practices. The Legislature has started to look at policies such as the use of 'grade floors' and 'credit retrieval,' practices that teachers often identify as sources of grade inflation. However, simply prohibiting those programs will do little to improve academic outcomes and readiness without a simultaneous reevaluation of an accountability system that limits opportunities and ways by which a student can demonstrate mastery of content and a Uniform Grading Policy that lacks uniformity in the awarding of 'quality points' across all numeric grades 0 to 100. By taking these types of actions, South Carolina can become a national leader in ensuring that the pomp and circumstance of graduation serves as both a celebration of past achievements and a prelude to future success.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would double paid parental leave time for South Carolina employees
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – State representatives passed a bill that could double the amount of paid parental leave for teachers and state employees. If H. 3490 is ratified, a parent who gives birth up would have up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, compared to the current six-week leave period. But, with only three days left in the year's current legislative session, the bill's future is uncertain. A parent who did not give birth to a child would also see a two-week increase in leave time. 'Whether or not I'm the birthing parent or not, the bond that you have with your child, particularly at birth, is something that is special,' said Rep. Beth Bernstein (D – Richland). The bipartisan bill was passed with a vote of 86 to 18, sparking controversy among some House members. Rep. Josiah Magnuson (R – Spartanburg) voted against this bill, despite having voted for the bill years ago. He said the language is unvetted. 'Now, I don't know about you, but I believe that our government should acknowledge mothers and should acknowledge fathers,' Magnuson remarked. 'You're saying, let's tax the people of South Carolina, most of whom don't get paid parental leave, and give them to state employees who already have six weeks of paid parental leave. ' But Rep. Neal Collins (R – Pickens) said Pickens County has budgeted $115,000 for paid parental leave and found no negative impact on taxpayers. 'The costs are relatively minimal, and I think they can be absorbed, and this is just a great opportunity to say we respect, and we support, teachers and, state employees as a whole,' Collins said. Patrick Kelly works as a public school teacher and is the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association. He also has two daughters and said the bill would have helped him spend more time with family after his wife gave birth. 'I took a week off when our daughters were born, but that was coming out of my balance,' Kelly recalled. 'To see this focus on both parents, to see a recognition of the importance of dad having time with the new baby [is important]. ' Kelly said he is happy with the state government's support for educators, because two years ago, South Carolina became the first state in the southeast to offer six weeks of paid parental leave to state employees. Though there is probably not enough time for the bill to make it through the Senate, the legislation will be enter the chamber in January 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
