Announcing New Science Subjects for South Carolina’s New College-and Career-Ready Science Standards

The South Carolina Department of Education recently updated their standards for science instruction and assessment, moving from the existing SCAS standards to the new South Carolina College- and Career-Ready (SCCCR) Science Standards. This updated curriculum has not yet been implemented in the statewide assessments, but educators can prepare now thanks to a new set of science subjects in Progress Learning built around the updated SCCCR standards for Grades 3-12.

Assessment Schedule

While the new science SCCCR standards have been officially approved, assessments based on these new standards have not yet been implemented. This year, assessments will be based on the previous 2014 SCAS standards. The 2021-2022 school year was a chance for local and state-led educators to explore the new standards, but the 2022-2023 assessments will still be based on the 2014 standards. The Office of Assessment and Standards will be providing a full timeline of implementation soon.

Fortunately, Progress Learning offers subscribers access to both the SCCCR and SCAS standards for the current school year, so that educators can prepare their students to meet the SCAS standards while also providing them with exposure to the new SCCCR standards.

About SCCCR

While the updated SCCCR science standards are a new development, the process for implementing them was set in motion back in 2014. It was this year that Act 200 was ratified in South Carolina, requiring the state’s Department of Education to begin the process of developing new standards for core subjects. The standards development process was designed to develop “clear, rigorous, and coherent standards… that will prepare students for success in their intended career paths that will either lead directly to the workforce or further education in post-secondary institutions.”

In the official introduction to the updated curriculum, the South Carolina Board of Education shares the overarching goal of the SCCCR standards:

Students should engage in scientific and engineering practices as a means to learn about the specific topics identified for their grade levels and courses. It is critical that educators understand that the Science and Engineering Practices are not to be taught in isolation. There should not be a distinct “Inquiry” unit at the beginning of each school year. Rather, the practices need to be employed within the content for each grade level or course.

The SCCCR standards are three-dimensional performance expectations, meaning that they are based on the three dimensions of Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). These three dimensions are intended to prepare students for college, career, and beyond. South Carolina’s vision for science education is that students in K-12th grades will receive authentic and relevant learning experiences where they will engage in science and engineering practices and apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their understanding of disciplinary core ideas. 

Progress Learning: An Essential Resource For South Carolina Educators

Progress Learning provides personalized learning for teachers and their students that helps them master state standards, recover from learning loss, and provide targeted intervention and remediation. With updated question types and technology-enhanced items that include way more than multiple choice, students gain exposure to assessments that will closely match what they will see on their statewide standardized tests. 

You’ll find differentiated learning for all instructional levels, with new state-specific subjects being added on a regular basis to serve the full range of educational needs for students in grades K through 12. With access to both old and new standards, Progress Learning users will be prepared for statewide assessments, now and in the future. 

Want to learn more? Request a demo with Progress Learning today.

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