South Carolina Kids Count
Problems in early childhood development and insufficient readiness for school often are the prelude to serious challenges lasting into adolescence and young adulthood. Successful early childhood development and school readiness have been defined in terms of six dimensions: health/physical ability, social competence, emotional well-being, language/communication skills, general knowledge, and thinking processes/skills. For two decades, the readiness of 1st graders has been assessed through the Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB). The percentage of students in the county assessed "not ready" went from 46.6% in 1980 to 26.8% in 1995 and then improved to 11.3% in 2001/2002 as a result of full-day kindergarten and other enhancements in learning. During 2001, students in Bamberg County were assessed to be not yet "ready " in the following dimensions, indicating a need for increased instructional attention to strengthen their skills in the 1st grade:
| Total | White Males | White Females | AA & Other Males | AA & Other Females | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Motor Skills | 19.1% | 28.6% | 4.3% | 26% | 10.9% |
| Fine Motor Skills | 54.9% | 33.3% | 56.5% | 57.3% | 57.8% |
| Classifying | 34.8% | 14.3% | 26.1% | 45.8% | 28.1% |
| Interpreting | 43.1% | 23.8% | 21.7% | 52.1% | 43.8% |
| Sequencing | 51.5% | 42.9% | 56.5% | 56.3% | 45.3% |
| Visual Memory | 70.1% | 66.7% | 56.5% | 74% | 70.3% |
| Visual Discrimination | 47.5% | 42.9% | 30.4% | 57.3% | 40.6% |
| Auditory Memory | 39.2% | 42.9% | 26.1% | 39.6% | 42.2% |
| Auditory Discrimination | 65.7% | 33.3% | 30.4% | 78.1% | 70.3% |
| Expressive Language | 40.2% | 9.5% | 21.7% | 54.2% | 35.9% |
| Receptive Language | 22.1% | 23.8% | 13% | 22.9% | 23.4% |
Many of the serious difficulties of adolescence have deep roots in problems emerging during the pre-school years of life and during unsuccessful academic careers in kindergarten through grade three. These problems are described statistically through data in the Kids Count report in terms of family, economic status, health, readiness, and early school performance. This data presents a troubling picture of children's life circumstances and development during the early years:
| Year | Total | White | African American & Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Birthweight | 2001 | 12.8% | 4.5% | 16.7% |
| Births to teen mothers under 18 | 2001 | 9% | 6% | 10.4% |
| Births to teen mothers under 20 | 2001 | 23.7% | 14.9% | 27.8% |
| Births to mothers not completing high school | 2001 | 26.1% | 22.4% | 27.8% |
| Births to single mothers* | 2001 | 56.9% | 22.4% | 72.9% |
| Children under 6 in single parent families | 2000 | 39.6% | 11.3% | 56.6% |
| Females in the labor force with children under 6 | 2000 | 72.3% | 68.7% | 74.3% |
| Poverty rate for children under 6 | 2000 | 38.0% | 20.3% | 47.0% |
| First graders "not ready" | 2001 | 11.3% | 0% | 14.5% |
| Failures during grades 1-3 | 2000 | 15.8% | 11.8% | 16.7% |
| Special Ed placement (ages 8 & 9) | 2002 | 25.6% | 21.3% | 27.1% |
* Data include cases of paternity acknowledgement by fathers not married to the mothers.
Statewide data on trends affecting children in the early years present a mixed picture. Single parent families have increased. More and more parents of young children are working. Education of parents has improved. Infant mortality is down, but low birthweight has not improved. Poverty declined dramatically in the 1970s but has not changed much for young children since then, especially among the growing numbers of children in families headed by single mothers. In Bamberg County, the following trends have affected young children.
| 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | Most Recent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Birthweight | 10.1% | 12.5% | 11.7% | 9.9% | 12.8% |
| Births to teen mothers under 18 | 10.1% | 9.5% | 8.2% | 5.2% | 9% |
| Births to mothers not completing high school | 60% | 38% | 25.8% | 24.5% | 26.1% |
| Births to single mothers* | 19.2% | 32.2% | 45% | 53.6% | 56.9% |
| Children under 6 in single parent families | 12% | 22.1% | 37.8% | 39.6% | NA |
| Children under 18 in single parent families | 16.2% | 25.8% | 37.3% | 41.6% | NA |
| Females in the labor force with children under 6 | 47.8% | 59.3% | 61.3% | 72.3% | NA |
| Poverty rate for children under 6 | NA | 33.3% | 41.2% | 38.0% | NA |
| Not ready for 1st grade | NA | 46.6% | 29.4% | 10.5% | 11.3% |
* Beginning in 1980, data include paternity acknowledgement cases.
Research on early childhood and brain development emphasizes the critical importance of healthy fetal development, followed by nurturing and stimulating family and early care and education environments during the preschool years. These factors are especially important for school readiness in developing such strengths as extensive language, awareness of speech sounds, happy disposition, harmonious interpersonal skills, a positive orientation towards books, and general knowledge such as shapes and colors. Behavior, language, speech, and reading readiness deficiencies often prevent success in the early grades, especially in terms of learning to read.
Until 1996/97, first grade readiness statewide had not improved since the early 1980s, as assessed by teachers of these students. Large percentages of students are still placed in special education, even though many of them are recognized as disabled only in academic learning but not in other areas of life. Trends that appear to be promising are data on increased readiness, reduced school failures, and fewer students over-age for grade 3.
| 1991 | 1992 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st graders not "ready" | 30.6% | NA% | 26.2% | 27.2% | 26.8% | 16.6% | 12.6% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 11.3% | 11.3% |
| Failures grades 1-3 | NA | 23.4% | 20.3% | 24% | 22.7% | 27.7% | 11.4% | 12.7% | 24.7% | 15.8% | NA |
| Over-age for grade 3 | NA% | 31.5% | 30.3% | 25.9% | 24.2% | 17.5% | 20.1% | 19.8% | 21.1% | 16.4% | 23% |
| Grade 3 Reading* | 23% | 18.8% | 18.9% | 13.8% | 13.7% | 15.2% | 18.6% | 27.6% | 42% | 30.4% | 24.5% |
| Grade 3 Math* | 23.8% | 21.5% | 15.4% | 6.7% | 17.4% | 19.8% | 24.4% | 27.6% | 22.8% | 30.4% | 37% |
*Below standards on BSAP through 1998; below basic on PACT starting in 1999.
If these improvements are the result of better performance by children in the early grades, it is cause for celebration; however, lower failure rates may be the result of delayed timing of retention, as schools wait for testing results in grades 3 or 4 to deal with under-performance. Hopefully, enhanced attention to successful learning in the early grades such as through Act 135 and full-day kindergarten can be shown to cause the decline in retention.
While many students are making solid progress in school, too many others are performing below the minimum standards for basic academic skills. Approximately 40% of 4th graders in South Carolina perform below a basic level on the National Assessment of Education Progress in math and 45% in reading, as compared with 31.9% of 4th graders below basic in math and 30.8% below basic in reading on PACT in Bamberg County.
| Grade | Total | White Male | White Female | African American & Other Male | African American & Other Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math | Grade 3 | 25.6% | 13% | 9.1% | 30.7% | 28.9% |
| Math | Grade 4 | 31.9% | 12% | 13.8% | 35.7% | 42% |
| Math | Grade 5 | 40.2% | 26.9% | 29.4% | 55.1% | 37.8% |
| Reading | Grade 3 | 31.3% | 26.1% | 4.5% | 41.1% | 31.3% |
| Reading | Grade 4 | 30.8% | 16% | 10.3% | 41.2% | 31.9% |
| Reading | Grade 5 | 35.4% | 34.6% | 17.6% | 42% | 35.4% |