Request to Amend Accountability Plan – South Carolina – NCLB Policy Letters to States
January 19, 2010
The Honorable Jim Rex
State Superintendent of Education
South Carolina Department of Education
1006 Rutledge Building
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Dear Superintendent Rex:
I am writing in response to South Carolina’s request to amend its State accountability plan under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. Following discussions between the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and your staff, you made changes to South Carolina’s accountability plan to reflect administration of the new grades 3–8 assessment, the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards or PASS. These changes are included in the amended accountability plan that South Carolina submitted to the Department on October 22, 2009. I am pleased to fully approve South Carolina’s amended plan, which we will post on the Department’s website. As you know, any further request to amend South Carolina’s accountability plan must be submitted to the Department for review and approval as required by section 1111(f)(2) of Title I of the ESEA.
Please also be aware that approval of South Carolina’s accountability plan for Title I, including the amendments approved herein, does not indicate that the plan complies with Federal civil rights requirements, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
I am confident that South Carolina will continue to advance its efforts to hold schools and school districts accountable for the achievement of all students. If you need any additional assistance to implement the standards, assessment, and accountability provisions of the ESEA, please do not hesitate to contact (Victoria.Hammer@ed.gov) or (Valeria.Ford@ed.gov) of my staff.
Sincerely,
Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph. D.
cc: Governor Mark Sanford
Teri Siskind
Nancy Busbee
Steve Abbott
