District 5 Schools Earn Palmetto Gold & Silver Awards

From the Office of Community Services

Each of the 19 traditional schools in Lexington-Richland Five earned recognition as Palmetto Gold or Silver Award recipients from the South Carolina Department of Education. This is the first time in the 11-year history of the award that all schools in the district were recognized (alternative schools are not eligible).

The  Palmetto Gold and Palmetto Silver awards program was created by the South Carolina General Assembly to recognize schools that attained high levels of absolute performance, high rates of growth and substantial progress in closing achievement gaps between groups of students.

The state’s Education Oversight Committee establishes criteria for the awards, and the Department of Education applies those criteria to determine which schools are honored. 

Lexington-Richland Five schools recognized with Palmetto Gold Awards include Irmo Middle, Chapin Elementary, Dutch Fork Elementary, Irmo Elementary, CrossRoads Middle, Nursery Road Elementary, Chapin Middle, Lake Murray Elementary, River Springs Elementary, Dutch Fork Middle, Ballentine Elementary, Oak Pointe Elementary, Chapin High, Irmo High, and Dutch Fork High. Silver Award recipients included Harbison West Elementary, Leaphart Elementary, Dutch Fork Elementary, H. E. Corley Elementary and Seven Oaks Elementary.

Six schools were recognized for closing the achievement gap: Chapin High (silver), CrossRoads Middle (silver), Chapin Middle (silver), Dutch Fork High (gold), Lake Murray Elementary (gold), and Ballentine Elementary (silver).

Schools receive general awards for overall performance based on both their absolute and growth ratings and the growth index found on school report cards.  These ratings are determined by PASS scores for elementary and middle schools, whose awards were announced today. Awards for high schools will be announced at a later date.

Schools received closing the achievement gap awards based on academic gains made by students who fall into four subgroups -- African American students, Hispanic students, students participating in federal free- or reduced-price lunch programs and students with non-speech disabilities.

If the performance of at least one of the subgroups is at or above the performance of white and pay lunch students statewide, the school earns end-of-year absolute performance closing the achievement gap honors.  A school receives recognition for growth in achievement if at least one subgroup meets the growth in achievement criterion.