Ten South Carolina Schools are Honored for Outstanding Student Writing Programs
May 21, 2009COLUMBIA, SC – May 21, 2009 – Ten South Carolina public schools are being honored as winners of the state’s prestigious Exemplary Writing Program Awards.
The winning schools were announced by State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex today after a comprehensive five-month evaluation that included site visits. The State Superintendent said the winning schools will serve as resources for other schools across the state.
Writing isn’t just ‘a’ fundamental skill, it’s ‘the’ fundamental skill, Rex said. Strong writing ability can open the door to a productive life and a successful career, and this year’s winners have demonstrated their ability to teach writing at high levels. They infuse writing into every part of their curriculum, and it becomes a daily part of each student’s work.
The 2009 winners are Westside High School (Anderson District Five); Robert Smalls Middle School (Beaufort County); B.D. Lee Elementary School (Cherokee County); Cheraw Primary School (Chesterfield County); Pelham Road Elementary and Riverside Middle schools (Greenville County); Bethel-Hanberry Elementary, Killian Elementary and Kelly Mill Middle schools (Richland District Two); and Carlisle-Foster’s Grove Elementary School (Spartanburg District Two).
The Exemplary Writing Program is sponsored by the State Department of Education and governed by the Writing Improvement Coordinating Council.
The award is based on an extensive evaluation of the schools’ instructional programs, with a particular emphasis on the teaching of writing.
Twenty-one schools submitted written applications last fall and responded to 10 criteria of excellence that comprise the Exemplary Writing Program. The applications detailed how each school conducted its writing program with reference to leadership, faculty knowledge of research and theory, curriculum, assessment and community partnership.
From this group of 21, 12 schools were chosen for site visits. Three separate reviewers scored applications, and site visits were conducted by at least two reviewers. The schools that met the program’s rigorous criteria were designated as Exemplary Writing Program Schools.
The Exemplary Writing Program, established in 1987, is monitored to reflect the latest research in teaching students to be writers.
Application criteria are reviewed yearly.
Pam Wills, from the Education Department’s Office of Standards and Support, said South Carolina’s Exemplary Writing Program is a national model for school reform and transformation, as well as excellence in the teaching of writing. Wills said schools that have gone through the
three- to five-year process of developing an Exemplary Writing Program credit it as the key to their success in creating strong instructional programs.