DRC BEACON

September 2 - 19

December 1 - 12

March 23 - April 2

6th-8th

The DRC BEACON is an interim assessment that helps educators identify learning needs, measure progress, and achieve growth. It checks for student learning with real-time online reports at multiple points during the school year, providing immediate insights that will help guide formative instructional practices and learning in the classrooms.

CogAT

October 14 - 31

3rd-8th

Deadline for nominations: September 15

The identification of gifted and talented students is a multi-step process which consists of screening and referral, assessment of eligibility, and placement. The objective of the grade 2 testing program is to evaluate each student for the purpose of placement into a district Gifted and Talented program.  In accordance with State Board Regulation 43-220, students must meet the criteria for two out of the three dimensions outlined in this law. See SCDE’s Gifted and Talented web site for additional information.

PSAT/NMSQT

October TBD

(Official date coming soon)

8th, 10th*, 11th

*PSAT/NMSQT or PreACT

Sign-up Deadline: Early to mid-September

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT® is a great way to find out how prepared you are for college and career. The PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to the National Merit® Scholarship Program (described in the second part of this guide). The test also connects you to College Board programs and services that can propel you to opportunities you’ve earned.

ACCESS for ELLs

January 21 - March 6

K-12th ESOL

All students in grades K-12 who are determined to have limited English proficiency - based upon the completion of a Home Language Survey and the initial assessment of their English proficiency - must take ACCESS for ELLs® or Alternate ACCESS each spring. This includes those students whose parents have waived direct MLP services.

Climate Surveys

March 2 - 20

Parents, Teachers,

3rd-12th Students

The Education Accountability Act of 1998 specifies that, “school report cards should include information in such areas as…evaluations of the school by parents, teachers, and students.” Student, teacher, and parent/guardian opinion surveys have been designed to measure perceptions of three factors – Home and School Relations, School Learning Environments, and School Social and Physical Environments. Feedback received in these surveys provide valuable information to principals, teachers, parents, school improvement councils, and community groups in their efforts to identify areas for improvement.

SC Alternate Assessments

March 2 – April 17

3rd-12th

(meet eligibility criteria)

The SC Alternate Assessments are assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are assessed against alternate achievement standards as they are unable to participate in the general assessment program even with appropriate accommodations.

SC READY

May 5: Reading

May 6: Writing

May 13: Math

May 15: Science (6th Grade)

3rd-8th

The South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Assessments (SC READY) program is a statewide assessment in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies administered to students in grades 3–8 as required by the Education Accountability Act (EAA). The EAA was amended in 2018 to shorten testing by reducing the number of grade levels tested in social studies to grades 5 and 7 and for science to grades 4, 6, and 8. For the 2024-25 school year, Proviso 1.72 of the General Appropriations Bill suspended testing of grade 8 in science and grades 5 and 7 in social studies. As a result, students will be assessed in grades 4 and 6 in science. SC READY social studies will not be assessed in grades 3-8 during the 2025-26 school year.

NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Stakeholders use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the US. State-level results provide information about student achievement in South Carolina, while also allowing for comparisons between our state and other states, regions, and the nation.