Aiken Scholars Academy is one of the top high schools in the state.
The school received excellent ratings and was ranked 3rd out of 252 schools in the 2021-2022 South Carolina State School Report Card. The academy, which she opened in 2018, admits 50 students each year through a rigorous application and selection process. According to the website, she has 183 students for the 2022-23 school year.
Aiken Scholars Principal Martha Messick says the culture and environment help students learn how to be better people.
“There is no learning if you make mistakes and you don’t make mistakes,” Messick said. She described it as an area of focus that allows teachers to use different strategies and take risks, but it also helps reassure students that they will take risks and make mistakes. time. “
2022 class president Hayley Evans said the school is so new that students face different challenges.
“From day one, the faculty expected nothing but great things from us,” Evans said. “Not just academically, but also character. The demanding work ASA gave us was not what we were used to, but the ASA teachers pushed our boundaries and opened up our potential as students. They taught us the importance of studying, working in groups, and learning from our mistakes.The tasks we were given might have been very difficult and fast-paced, but In the end, I became a better student.”
Gradebook score
According to state report cards, 83 percent of Aiken County public schools scored above average, said Dr. Amy Edwards, chief leadership officer of the school system. Gradebook evaluation options were excellent, good, average, below average, and unsatisfactory.
“It was very impressive to me that 83{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of Aiken County schools are rated average, good or excellent. said.
According to the district’s news release, the following performance indicators for middle and high schools were academic performance, readiness for success, student progress/growth, school atmosphere, and English learner proficiency.
Edwards said of the 21 elementary schools, Millbrook and Mossy Creek received the highest ratings, 1 poor, 5 below average, 12 average, and 1 good.
Wagener’s Busbee Elementary School received unsatisfactory ratings, according to the SC School Report Card website. Elementary schools in Belvedere, Greendale, JD Lever, North Aiken, and Warrenville received below average ratings.
As for middle schools, Edwards said New Ellenton STEAM Magnet School was excellent, with one middle school rated below average, eight middle schools average, and two middle schools good.
The SC School Report Card website lists AL Corbett as a middle school rated below average.
According to the news release, high school performance indicators are academic performance, readiness for success, school climate, progress of English learners, graduation rate, and college and career readiness.
Edwards said none of the schools received unsatisfactory or below-average ratings.According to the SC School Report Card website, three schools received average ratings and four received good ratings. The Aiken Scholars received very good marks.
evaluation
Edwards said the assessment provides baseline data for districts to know where improvements are needed. Compared to other districts in South Carolina, Aiken is performing slightly better than the state in Algebra 1 and English 1, an improvement from its 2021 report card, she said.
State performance was slightly higher in some areas in grades 3 through 8, but Edwards said school districts want to make plans on how to improve those scores. However, she added that the scores are improving from the 2021 report card.
Aiken is just behind the state in 4th and 6th grade science, but is more than 30{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} ahead of the state in biology, Edwards said.
“This is yet another celebration after being profitable since last year,” Edwards said.
For English learners meeting their language growth goals, Edwards said the district has 20 ESOL teachers serving more than 1,400 students, with just under 400 completing the program. rice field.
“I’m happy to support the students, and I’m sure they’re doing much better in this department than in South Carolina,” said Edwards. “It’s all thanks to the wonderful teachers who support the children.”
Aiken’s graduation rate was just under 90{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c}, but more than 6{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} higher than the state’s score. Aiken’s school ranked 13th out of his 79 districts, according to a news release. When it comes to college and career readiness, Edwards said the district is doing well in that category.
“While responding to school closures and shifting instruction from the classroom to the cloud and vice versa, our teachers and staff are committed to working with students and their parents to maintain academic rigor, We have worked tirelessly to close the learning gap,” said Aiken Superintendent Lawrence in a news release. “This report card largely reflects year-over-year progress in some of the most difficult years our public education system has ever faced, which is encouraging.”
Application for ASA
According to Messick, current Grade 8 students interested in attending the Aiken Scholars Academy in the fall of 2023 should apply for English 1H, Algebra 1H and Geometry H before the 2023-24 school year begins. Must complete. The application process she is open until January 31st. Applicants undergo a timed written evaluation and go through an interview process.
An information session for parents and students will be held on January 12th. For more information, acpsd.net Then click on the Future Scholars tab.
