COLUMBIA – Legislation that will replace PACT in 2009 while making significant changes to South Carolina’s overall student assessment and school accountability systems became law today when Governor Mark Sanford allowed it to pass without his signature.

The new legislation makes the first significant changes to South Carolina’s Education Accountability Act since it was approved by the General Assembly 10 years ago. That law mandated annual testing for 380,000 students in grades 3-8 and the publishing of annual school report cards.

“These changes are what teachers and parents have been asking for,”

said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “They make our accountability system more practical for educators, more effective for schools and more useful to parents.”

Legislative debate on the bill began with sometimes heated partisan rhetoric but ended with both Republicans and Democrats celebrating the result.

“It was encouraging to see how the tone of the debate changed as we went along – how the discussions became very positive and constructive,” Rex said. “I hope we can maintain that spirit of cooperation as we tackle the issue of equitable school funding next year.”

The changes to the law are based on recommendations from two statewide task forces appointed by Rex last summer – one for testing and one for accountability. Those groups, which met numerous times over the late summer and fall, included representatives from local districts and schools, teacher and school administrator organizations, the South Carolina School Boards Association, the General Assembly, the Education Oversight Committee, the State Board of Education, business groups, and colleges and universities.

The new law:

● Eliminates PACT and replaces it in 2009 with new end-of-year

accountability tests that feature “essay” exams in March and more easily scored multiple-choice exams in May. Schools will get final results within a few weeks of the May tests, compared to late July with PACT.

● Revises the content of annual school report cards to make it more understandable and useful for parents, while simultaneously making certain that any revisions are in full compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

● Supports “formative” assessments in English language arts and mathematics. These tests will provide teachers with immediate feedback on individual students’ strengths and weaknesses and allow them to customize instruction based on those needs.

● Eliminates burdensome paperwork requirements for teachers.

● Brings South Carolina’s student performance targets into alignment with other states. Changes student performance indicators on state standardized tests from four levels to three (exemplary, met and not met).

● Reviews the state’s school accountability system every five years to be certain that it’s working efficiently and effectively.

● Deletes language in the EAA that had become outdated, and also incorporates into the law a number of “add-ons” that had been inserted each year through budget provisos.

Rex thanked the legislators who helped to fashion the bill, particularly the six conferees who worked quickly to hash out the different versions of the bill that emerged from the House and Senate.

The conferees were senators Wes Hayes (chair), Nikki Setzler and Linda Short and House members Bill Whitmire (vice chair), Eric Beddingfield and Jimmy Neal.

Rex also thanked Senate Education Committee Chairman John Courson and House Education and Public Works Committee Chairman Bob Walker for their leadership in shepherding the legislation through their respective chambers.

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