8 Clover schools earn state performance, improvement awards

Eight Clover schools are among 662 across the state earning Palmetto Gold Awards for the 2012-2013 school year for their performance.

This marks the seventh consecutive year Crowders Creek Elementary has been awarded a gold rating in general performance and the first-ever gold in closing the achievement gap.

With this year’s award, Bethany Elementary has now received a gold rating in five of the last six years while Bethel Elementary and Griggs Road Elementary have accomplished the feat in four of the last five years. Larne Elementary and Oakridge Middle School have each won gold in general performance for three consecutive years, while Kinard Elementary improved to gold after a silver rating in 2011-2012. Clover High also earned gold two years in a row.

The Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards program (PGS) began with the Education Accountability Act of 1998, giving recognition to schools for high levels of academic achievement and high rates of improvement.  The PGS recognizes schools based on the criteria in the statewide Accountability Manual approved by the Education Oversight Committee (EOC) for both general performance and working towards closing the achievement gap.

Within those two categories, a school may be awarded either the gold or silver designation.  The EOC revised the criteria for Palmetto Silver General Performance this year, reducing the number of eligible schools.

Of the award recipients, 446 schools were recognized for general performance only, 39 were recognized for closing the achievement gap only, and 192 schools were recognized for their performance in both general performance and closing the achievement gap. This is the fifth year that closing the achievement gap has been honored as part of the PGS.