Richland 2 reports Algebra I and U.S. history gains; district outlines coaching, curriculum and CTE steps after mixed assessment results
October 29, 2025 | Richland 02, School Districts, South Carolina
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Senior district academic staff presented the Richland School District Two 2024–25 high school achievement report at the Oct. 28 board meeting, saying Algebra I and U.S. history showed measurable gains while biology and English 2 declined and the statewide career‑readiness assessment dipped.
The presentation, led by Senior Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Morrison and Executive Director of Accountability Dr. Jennifer Coleman, opened with a note that the state report cards — which include the district graduation rate — were delayed and scheduled for release Nov. 3. Dr. Coleman explained that the district’s EOCEP (end‑of‑course) subjects are Algebra I, English 2, biology and U.S. history and that the state counts a D or above as a passing score.
“This is one that we really have kids bought all into because they know it will impact their grades,” Dr. Coleman said.
On Algebra I, the district reported a two‑year increase of about 3.3 percentage points and a five‑year change of roughly five percentage points. U.S. history showed a 2.1 percentage‑point increase from the prior year and about a five‑point increase over five years. By contrast, biology fell about 3.15 percent and English 2 fell about 1.29 percent, the presentation said.
District staff also reported a nearly four‑percentage‑point decrease in the South Carolina Career Readiness Assessment, which the district said affects students’ workplace certificates and employer signaling. The district identified WIN (the vendor that produces the assessment) as the test provider and said the assessment includes math, data, reading and a soft‑skills component.
In response to the mixed results, the district outlined an instructional plan emphasizing fidelity of curriculum implementation, content‑specific coaching, collaborative planning through professional learning communities (PLCs), benchmarks and on‑time‑to‑graduate monitoring. Staff named recent adoptions and materials — including Math Nation Accelerated Learning and StudySync — and described steps to help teachers “unpack” standards and assessments before instruction.
“We have a goal this year to provide high‑quality coaching cycles to 25 of our teachers across the board,” Jennifer Morrison said, describing targeted coaching cycles and school‑level supports.
Staff described PLC protocols that begin with establishing norms, then move to using assessment items from high‑quality instructional materials to unpack standards and design lesson sequences so students have practice on the exact skills they will be assessed on. The district said it is also reinforcing co‑teaching and inclusive practices for students with disabilities.
To address the career‑readiness dip, the district described WIN boot camps at high schools to remediate seniors who scored below targets during their junior‑year administrations and said it is expanding use of the WIN curriculum outside traditional CTE classes to include special education coursework. The district also said it would continue articulating stackable industry credentials through the CTE program.
Board members asked for more granular projections and school‑level interventions. District leaders said principals are conducting continuous improvement data meetings that track students “kid by kid” and that first‑semester benchmarks for the four EOCEP courses show promising signals. The district said a fuller instructional plan will be included in the board brief next week and that academics will present an update at the Nov. 11 meeting.
On sequencing for mathematics, staff noted that some high schools that moved to a geometry‑first sequence last year are seeing improved Algebra I readiness, and presenters referenced other states that made similar changes as evidence that the sequence can affect outcomes.
Why it matters: EOCEP outcomes and the career‑readiness assessment contribute to student grades, credentialing and district accountability. The board received both district‑level trend data and school‑level interventions that the administration says are already in progress. The district will provide a written instructional plan in the board brief and a progress update at the next board meeting.
Provenance:
- topicintro: 00:44 — "We're very excited tonight to bring to the board Mrs. Jennifer Morrison... and their supporting cast to discuss our high school achievement report." (Jennifer Morrison / Dr. Coleman presentation)
- topfinish: 38:30 — "...we will be putting into the board brief by next week." (presentation/QA wrap‑up)
The presentation, led by Senior Chief Academic Officer Jennifer Morrison and Executive Director of Accountability Dr. Jennifer Coleman, opened with a note that the state report cards — which include the district graduation rate — were delayed and scheduled for release Nov. 3. Dr. Coleman explained that the district’s EOCEP (end‑of‑course) subjects are Algebra I, English 2, biology and U.S. history and that the state counts a D or above as a passing score.
“This is one that we really have kids bought all into because they know it will impact their grades,” Dr. Coleman said.
On Algebra I, the district reported a two‑year increase of about 3.3 percentage points and a five‑year change of roughly five percentage points. U.S. history showed a 2.1 percentage‑point increase from the prior year and about a five‑point increase over five years. By contrast, biology fell about 3.15 percent and English 2 fell about 1.29 percent, the presentation said.
District staff also reported a nearly four‑percentage‑point decrease in the South Carolina Career Readiness Assessment, which the district said affects students’ workplace certificates and employer signaling. The district identified WIN (the vendor that produces the assessment) as the test provider and said the assessment includes math, data, reading and a soft‑skills component.
In response to the mixed results, the district outlined an instructional plan emphasizing fidelity of curriculum implementation, content‑specific coaching, collaborative planning through professional learning communities (PLCs), benchmarks and on‑time‑to‑graduate monitoring. Staff named recent adoptions and materials — including Math Nation Accelerated Learning and StudySync — and described steps to help teachers “unpack” standards and assessments before instruction.
“We have a goal this year to provide high‑quality coaching cycles to 25 of our teachers across the board,” Jennifer Morrison said, describing targeted coaching cycles and school‑level supports.
Staff described PLC protocols that begin with establishing norms, then move to using assessment items from high‑quality instructional materials to unpack standards and design lesson sequences so students have practice on the exact skills they will be assessed on. The district said it is also reinforcing co‑teaching and inclusive practices for students with disabilities.
To address the career‑readiness dip, the district described WIN boot camps at high schools to remediate seniors who scored below targets during their junior‑year administrations and said it is expanding use of the WIN curriculum outside traditional CTE classes to include special education coursework. The district also said it would continue articulating stackable industry credentials through the CTE program.
Board members asked for more granular projections and school‑level interventions. District leaders said principals are conducting continuous improvement data meetings that track students “kid by kid” and that first‑semester benchmarks for the four EOCEP courses show promising signals. The district said a fuller instructional plan will be included in the board brief next week and that academics will present an update at the Nov. 11 meeting.
On sequencing for mathematics, staff noted that some high schools that moved to a geometry‑first sequence last year are seeing improved Algebra I readiness, and presenters referenced other states that made similar changes as evidence that the sequence can affect outcomes.
Why it matters: EOCEP outcomes and the career‑readiness assessment contribute to student grades, credentialing and district accountability. The board received both district‑level trend data and school‑level interventions that the administration says are already in progress. The district will provide a written instructional plan in the board brief and a progress update at the next board meeting.
Provenance:
- topicintro: 00:44 — "We're very excited tonight to bring to the board Mrs. Jennifer Morrison... and their supporting cast to discuss our high school achievement report." (Jennifer Morrison / Dr. Coleman presentation)
- topfinish: 38:30 — "...we will be putting into the board brief by next week." (presentation/QA wrap‑up)
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