Description & Explanation of Curriculum, Forms of Academic Assessment, and Proficiency Levels Students Are Expected to Meet

School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties provides a high-quality curriculum based upon the South Carolina Curriculum Standards. This curriculum has been approved by the South Carolina Board of Education and adopted by the District Five School Board.  Textbooks used in the classrooms have been reviewed by a committee of teachers and adopted and endorsed by the State Department of Education.  Specific educational programs in each school are targeted to meet the identified needs of the children in the school.

School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties administers a variety of standardized assessments to its students.  The PASS Test (PACT), which is part of the state assessment program, is given to students to measure student performance on the state standards.  Beginning in the tenth grade, the High School Assessment Program (HSAP) is administered.  This test is in accordance with No Child Left Behind and measures students’ academic achievement on high school academic standards.  To monitor student progress throughout the year, all students are given teacher-prepared and textbook-provided assessments.

Parent’s Right to Know

As a parent of a student enrolled in a Title I school, you have the right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers and instructional assistants who instruct your child.  Federal law allows you to ask for the following information about your child’s classroom teachers and requires the District to give you this information in a timely manner:

• whether the teacher is certified to teach the subjects and/or grade levels the teacher is teaching,
• whether the teacher’s certificate is a waiver or substandard certificate,
• the teacher’s academic major, graduate degrees, if any, and
• the teacher’s certification area.

If you would like to receive this information, please call our Human Resources department at 803-476-8198.

South Carolina Department of Education Complaint Resolution Procedures

The State Department of Education (SDE) has the authority to hear complaints and appeals regarding certain federal programs and requires school districts to distribute the following information concerning the South Carolina Department of Education’s complaint resolution procedures:

• Organizations or individuals may file a complaint that applies to Title I within thirty days of receiving the decision by the school district or group of districts.
• Complaints and appeals must be made in writing and they must contain a statement indicating the violation, the facts on which the statement is based, and the specific requirement of law or regulation allegedly violated.  Complaints and appeals must be filed with the State Superintendent of Education at the S.C. Department of Education, 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.
• The SDE will confirm receipt of the complaint within ten business days and will conduct an investigation to determine the merits of the complaint.  The Deputy Superintendent will issue a final decision regarding the complaint within 60 days, except under exceptional circumstances that warrant an extension. 
• The final decision of the SDE may be appealed to the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Education.