CCSD highlights ‘Acceleration Schools’ initiative

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Acceleration Schools event took place at Burke High School and organizers encouraged parents, students and community members to attend.

Charleston County School District (CCSD) officials are sharing information with the community about their Acceleration Schools initiative.

“The Acceleration Schools are schools that are low-performing schools in our district,” Acceleration Schools associate superintendent Jacqueline Haynes said. “Some of those schools are on the state list; some are off. We’ve had Acceleration Schools since 2020.”

CCSD currently has 11 Acceleration Schools, which Haynes says the district is giving enhanced attention to.

“To ensure that we are having best practices and really working with our students,” she said, “and those schools and teachers that are low performing.”

Wednesday’s meeting started with community members having dinner in the cafeteria before moving to the auditorium to hear more about the initiative.

“We want to give them an update on how well Acceleration Schools have done since 2020,” Haynes said. “We’ve improved the performance of students and really worked with our teachers and our principals.”

They also watched clips of the documentary “The Right to Read.”

“Speaking to parents and community members about the importance of reading,” Haynes said, “CCSD has a goal that every fifth grader will be reading on grade level by 2027.”

Parents like Christopher Cason are confident that goal can be accomplished.

“The movement is moving forward,” Cason said, “and the passion is there from the teachers that the likelihood, I say next year in the early part of 2024, we’re going to see a big change. I believe it, I really do.”