Press Release
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has published the 2022 list of School Improvement Designations. The criteria for determining these federal designations are established in South Carolina's federally-required plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Over the last month, SCDE staff have engaged in collaborative conversations with local districts to ensure that the definitions and methodology for these designations were clearly understood and applied prior to releasing the data. Designations are based on report card data for the 2021-2022 academic year. A full list of schools may be accessed here.
“As expected, there has been a post-COVID increase in the number of schools identified for support,” said Matthew Ferguson, SCDE Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer. “The SCDE is fully committed to deepening partnerships with schools to support students and reverse this generational learning loss.”
Following are federal designations for the categories noted above:
Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Schools
CSI schools are Title I schools performing in the bottom 5% of their grade span (elementary, middle, or high). Additionally, any high school (Title I or non-Title I) with a graduation rate lower than 70% is identified as a CSI school. CSI status is a three-year identification. The next identification of school improvement designations is scheduled for Fall 2025.
Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) Schools
ATSI schools have subgroups performing in the bottom 5% of their grade span (elementary, middle, or high). ATSI status is a three-year identification. The next identification of school improvement designations is scheduled for Fall 2025.
TSI Consistently Underperforming Subgroups (TSI_CUS) Schools
TSI_CUS schools have subgroups performing in the bottom 10% of their grade span (elementary, middle, or high) for three years.
Priority Schools
Priority schools are any schools performing in the bottom 10% of their grade span (elementary, middle, or high). Priority status is a three-year identification. The next identification of school improvement designations is scheduled for Fall 2025.
