reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
SC Code § 59-18-910 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-910. Cyclical review of accountability system; stakeholders; development of necessary skills and characteristics.

 Beginning in 2020, the Education Oversight Committee, working with the State Board of Education and a broad-based group of stakeholders, selected by the Education Oversight Committee, shall conduct a comprehensive cyclical review of the accountability system at least every five years and shall provide the General Assembly with a report on the findings and recommended actions to improve the accountability system and to accelerate improvements in student and school performance. The stakeholders must include the State Superintendent of Education and the Governor, or the Governor's designee. The other stakeholders include, but are not limited to, parents, business and industry persons, community leaders, and educators. The cyclical review must include recommendations of a process for determining if students are graduating with the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate to be successful in postsecondary education and in careers. The accountability system needs to reflect evidence that students have developed these skills and characteristics.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008; 2017 Act No. 94 (H.3969), Section 12, eff June 10, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment rewrote this section.  2017 Act No. 94, Section 12, substituted "Beginning in 2020" for "Beginning in 2013", and added provisions requiring that the cyclical review must include recommendations of a process for determining if students are graduating with certain skills and characteristics.
SC Code § 59-18-920 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-920. Report card requirements for charter, alternative, and career and technology schools.

 A charter school established pursuant to Chapter 40, Title 59 shall report the data requested by the Department of Education necessary to generate a report card and a rating. The performance of students attending charter schools sponsored by the South Carolina Public Charter School District must be included in the overall performance ratings of each school in the South Carolina Public Charter School District. The performance of students attending a charter school authorized by a local school district must be reflected on a separate line on the school district's report card. An alternative school is included in the requirements of this chapter; however, the purpose of an alternative school must be taken into consideration in determining its performance rating. The Education Oversight Committee, working with the State Board of Education and the School to Work Advisory Council, shall develop a report card for career and technology schools.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2005 Act No. 49, Section 7, eff May 3, 2005; 2006 Act No; 274, Section 2, eff May 3, 2006; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008; 2012 Act No. 164, Section 16, eff May 14, 2012; 2017 Act No. 94 (H.3969), Section 13, eff June 10, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  The 2005 amendment made nonsubstantive language changes throughout and in the second sentence substituted "career and technology" for "vocational".  The 2006 amendment rewrote this section.  The 2008 amendment reprinted this section without apparent change.  The 2012 amendment inserted ", unless there is a mutual agreement to include the scores in the local school district ratings".  2017 Act No. 94, Section 13, amended the section, deleting provisions prohibiting the use of charter school student performance in a district's overall performance ratings.
SC Code § 59-18-930 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-930. Publication of report cards; issuance date; advertising results.

 (A) The State Department of Education annually shall publish on its website home page the report card to all schools and districts of the State no later than November fifteenth, for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 School Years. To further increase transparency and accountability, for the 2018-2019 School Year, the school's report card must be furnished to parents and the public no later than October first. For the 2019-2020 School Year, and every subsequent year, the school's report card must be furnished to parents and the public no later than September first. The home page report card must be capable of being downloaded into a portable document format (PDF) and must contain National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores or other national scores or comparisons, if available. The report card summary must be made available to all parents of the school and the school district.  (B) The school, in conjunction with the district board, also must inform the community of the school's report card by advertising the results in at least one South Carolina daily newspaper of general circulation in the area. This notice must be published within forty-five days of receipt of the report cards issued by the State Department of Education and must be a minimum of two columns by ten inches (four and one-half by ten inches) with at least a twenty-four point bold headline.  (C) If an audited newspaper of general circulation in a school district's geographic area has previously published the entire school report card results as a news item, the requirement of subsection (B) may be waived.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008; 2008 Act No. 353, Section 2, Pt 1A.C.1 eff July 1, 2008; 2009 Act No. 34, Section 1, eff June 2, 2009; 2017 Act No. 94 (H.3969), Section 14, eff June 10, 2017.  Effect of Amendment  The first 2008 amendment created the second undesignated paragraph from the third and fourth sentences of the existing section; rewrote the first undesignated paragraph to require an executive summary of the annual report card; and in the second sentence of the second undesignated paragraph substituted "forty-five days" for "ninety days".  The second 2008 amendment made identical changes.  The 2009 amendment designated subsections (A) and (B) and added subsection (C) relating to waiving the advertising requirement.  2017 Act No. 94, Section 14, amended (A), providing the department may publish the report card on its website in a certain manner, and providing certain national assessment scores may be included.
SC Code § 59-18-1100 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1100. Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards Program established; criteria.

 The State Board of Education, working with the division and the Department of Education, must establish the Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards Program to recognize and reward schools for academic achievement and for closing the achievement gap. Awards will be established for schools attaining high levels of absolute performance, for schools attaining high rates of growth, and for schools making substantial progress in closing the achievement gap between disaggregated groups. The award program must base improved performance on longitudinally matched student data and may include such additional criteria as:  (1) student attendance;  (2) teacher attendance;  (3) graduation rates; and  (4) other factors promoting or maintaining high levels of achievement and performance. Schools shall be rewarded according to specific criteria established by the division. In defining eligibility for a reward for high levels of performance, student performance should exceed expected levels of improvement. The State Board of Education shall promulgate regulations to ensure districts of the State utilize these funds to improve or maintain exceptional performance according to their school's plans established in Section 59-139-10. Funds may be utilized for professional development support.  Special schools for the academically talented are not eligible to receive an award pursuant to the provisions of this section unless they have demonstrated improvement and high absolute achievement for three years immediately preceding.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment added "and for closing the achievement gap" at the end of the first sentence, in the second sentence, substituted "growth, and for schools making substantial progress in closing the achievement gap between disaggregated groups" for "improvement", and, in item (3), substituted "graduation" for "student dropout".
SC Code § 59-18-1110 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1110. Grant of flexibility of receiving exemption from regulations; criteria; continuation of and removal from flexibility status.

 (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a school is given the flexibility of receiving exemptions from those regulations and statutory provisions governing the defined program provided that, during a three-year period, the following criteria are satisfied:  (1) the school has twice been a recipient of a Palmetto Gold or Silver Award, pursuant to Section 59-18-1100;  (2) the school has met annual improvement standards for subgroups of students in reading and mathematics; and  (3) the school has exhibited no recurring accreditation deficiencies.  (B) Schools receiving flexibility status are released from those regulations and statutory provisions referred to above including, but not limited to, regulations and statutory provisions on class scheduling, class structure, and staffing.  (C) To continue to receive flexibility pursuant to this section, a school must annually exhibit school improvement at or above the state average as computed in the school recognition program pursuant to Section 59-18-1100 and must meet the gains required for subgroups of students in reading and mathematics. A school which does not requalify for flexibility status due to extenuating circumstances may apply to the State Board of Education for an extension of this status for one year.  (D) In the event that a school is removed from flexibility status, the school is not subject to regulations and statutory provisions exempted under this section until the beginning of the school year following notification of the change in status by the State Department of Education. Subsequent monitoring by the State Department of Education in a school that is removed from flexibility status shall not include a review of program records exempted under this section for the period that the school has received flexibility status or for the school year during which the school was notified of its removal from flexibility status.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment, in subsection (B), deleted the second sentence relating to promulgation of regulations.
SC Code § 59-18-1120 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1120. Grant of flexibility of exemption from regulations and statutes to school designated as school/district at-risk; extension to other schools.

 (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a school designated as school/district at-risk while in such status is given the flexibility of receiving exemptions from those regulations and statutory provisions governing the defined program or other State Board of Education regulations, dealing with the core academic areas as outlined in Section 59-18-120, provided that the review team recommends such flexibility to the State Board of Education.  (B) Other schools may receive flexibility when their school renewal plan explains why such exemptions are expected to improve the academic performance of the students and the plan meets the approval by the State Board of Education. To continue to receive flexibility pursuant to this section, a school must annually exhibit overall school improvement as outlined in its revised plan and must meet the gains set for subgroups of students in content areas included in the accountability assessments. A school which does not requalify for flexibility status due to extenuating circumstances may apply to the State Board of Education for an extension of this status for one year according to the provisions of Section 59-18-1110(D).  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment, in subsection (A), substituted "school/district at-risk" for "unsatisfactory"; and, in subsection (B), in the first sentence substituted "school renewal" for "strategic", and in the second sentence "content areas included in the accountability assessments" for "reading and mathematics".
SC Code § 59-18-1130 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1130. Use of funds appropriated for professional development.

 (A) Notwithstanding another provision of law to the contrary, funds appropriated for professional development must be used for certificated instructional and instructional leadership personnel in grades kindergarten through twelve in the academic areas for which State Board of Education standard documents have been approved to better link instruction and lesson plans to the standards and to statewide adopted readiness assessment tests, to develop classroom assessments consistent with the standards and testing measures, and to analyze assessment results for needed modification in instructional strategies. No more than five percent of funds appropriated for professional development may be retained by the State Department of Education for administration of the program; however, a district may choose to purchase professional development services provided by the State Department of Education with the funds allocated to the districts for professional development. Funds also may be expended for certificated instructional and instructional leadership personnel in grades six through twelve to achieve competency in teaching reading to students who score below proficient on the reading component of assessment tests.  (B) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars of the funds allocated to professional development must be provided to the State Department of Education to implement successfully the South Carolina Readiness Assessment by creating a validation process for teachers to ensure reliable administration of the assessment, providing professional development on effective utilization, and establishing the relationship between the readiness measure and third grade standards-based assessments. Multi-day work sessions must be provided around the State during the summer, fall, and winter using staff development days and teacher workdays. Two of the remaining professional development days must be set aside for the specific purpose of preparing and opening schools. District instructional leaders, regional service centers, consortia, development personnel, university faculty, contracted providers, and the resources of the Educational Television Network may be used to implement the professional development initiative. Teachers participating in the program shall receive credit toward recertification according to State Board of Education guidelines. Funds provided for professional development on standards may be carried forward into the current fiscal year to be expended for the same purpose. No less than twenty-five percent of the funds allocated for professional development may be expended on the teaching of reading, which includes teaching reading across content areas in grades three through eight.  HISTORY: 2008 Act No. 353, Section 2, Pt 1A.A, eff July 1, 2009.
SC Code § 59-18-1300 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1300. District accountability system; support, development, and review.

 The State Board of Education, based on recommendations of the division, must develop regulations requiring that each district board of trustees must establish and annually review a performance based accountability system, or modify its existing accountability system, to reinforce the state accountability system. Parents, teachers, and principals must be involved in the development, annual review, and revisions of the accountability system established by the district. The board of trustees shall ensure that a district accountability plan be developed, reviewed, and revised annually. In order to stimulate constant improvement in the process of teaching and learning in each school and to target additional local assistance for a school when its students' performance is low or shows little improvement, the district accountability system must build on the district and school activities and plans required in Section 59-139-10. In keeping with the emphasis on school accountability, principals should be actively involved in the selection, discipline, and dismissal of personnel in their particular school. The date the school improvement reports must be provided to parents is changed to February first.  The Department of Education shall offer technical support to any district requesting assistance in the development of an accountability plan. Furthermore, the department must conduct a review of accountability plans as part of the peer review process required in Section 59-139-10(H) to ensure strategies are contained in the plans that shall maximize student learning.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment deleted obsolete provisions throughout.
SC Code § 59-18-1310 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1310. Consolidation of strategic plans and improvement reports; annual submission dates.

 The strategic plans and improvement reports required of the public schools and districts in Sections 59-18-1300, 59-18-1500, and 59-20-60 are consolidated and reported as follows: district and school five-year plans and annual updates and district programmatic reports, and school reports developed in conjunction with the school improvement council to parents and constituents to include recommendations of Education Accountability Act external review teams as approved by the State Board of Education and the steps being taken to address the recommendations, and the advertisement of this report are due on a date established by the Department of Education, but no later than April thirtieth annually; schools reviewed by external review teams shall prepare a report to the parents and constituents of the school, to be developed in conjunction with the School Improvement Council, and this report must be provided and advertised no later than April thirtieth annually. The school report card narrative in Section 59-18-900 continues on its prescribed date.  HISTORY: 2003 Act No. 89, Section 4, eff July 23, 2003; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Editor's Note  Section 59-18-1500, referenced in the text, was repealed by 2021 Act No. 44, Section 2, effective July 1, 2022.  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment made nonsubstantive changes.
SC Code § 59-18-1520 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1520. Declaration of emergency; hearing; courses of action.

 Section effective until July 1, 2022.  If the recommendations approved by the state board, the district's plan, or the school's revised plan are not satisfactorily implemented by the school rated school/district at-risk and its school district according to the time line developed by the State Board of Education or if student academic performance has not met expected progress, the principal, district superintendent, and members of the board of trustees must appear before the State Board of Education to outline the reasons why a state of emergency should not be declared in the school. The state superintendent, after consulting with the external review committee and with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall be granted the authority to take any of the following actions:  (1) furnish continuing advice and technical assistance in implementing the recommendations of the State Board of Education;  (2) declare a state of emergency in the school and replace the school's principal; or  (3) declare a state of emergency in the school and assume management of the school.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Editor's Note  2021 Act No. 44, Sections 2, 3, provide as follows:  "SECTION 2. Article 15, Chapter 18, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is repealed.  "SECTION 3. This act takes effect on July 1, 2022, upon approval by the Governor."  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment in the first sentence substituted "school/district at-risk" for "unsatisfactory".
SC Code § 59-18-1540 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 59 - Education|Chapter 18 - Education Accountability Act|Section 59-18-1540. Mentoring program for principals.

 Section effective until July 1, 2022.  Each principal continued in employment in schools designated as below average or school/district at-risk must participate in a formal mentoring program with a principal. The Department of Education, working with the Education Oversight Committee, shall design the mentoring program. A principal mentor may be employed as a component of the technical assistance strategy.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 400, Section 2; 2008 Act No. 282, Section 1, eff June 5, 2008.  Editor's Note  2021 Act No. 44, Sections 2, 3, provide as follows:  "SECTION 2. Article 15, Chapter 18, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is repealed.  "SECTION 3. This act takes effect on July 1, 2022, upon approval by the Governor."  Effect of Amendment  The 2008 amendment rewrote this section.