Augusta Magazine's 2023 Guide to Education

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Guide to EDUCATION Whether you’re a parent looking for a private school, a high school student looking at colleges or already employed and seeking to upgrade your skills, our guide provides a number of quality options in the Augusta-Aiken area.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023

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PALMETTO STATE SHIFT

By Dustin Turner Aiken County students were undoubtedly weeks, and spring break is now two weeks worried when they heard the modified school instead of the traditional one.

“We just moved it around a little bit,” year was approved in January 2022. Shorter summers? Year-round school? Will there even Laurence says. “It gives us an opportunity to provide a little extra help for students be time for summer vacations?

“It’s really not that radical,” says King throughout the year during those extra breaks.

Laurence, the superintendent of Aiken County The first week of the fall and spring breaks are Public Schools. “We’re taking just three weeks going to be intervention and enrichment time. out of the summer and moving those to other We’re calling it intercession.”

Laurence said he knows they can’t address places in the year. Instead of a 10-week summer break, we will have a seven-week summer break all students’ serious academic problems in one week. with more breaks throughout “But what we can do the year, including two weeks The new schedule, is focus on specific skills or in the fall.” topics and give students a The new schedule, which started boost into the next nine weeks which started with the with the 2023-24 so they won’t be as behind as 2023-24 school year, was they would have been,” he designed to provide students school year, was notes. “A student might be with more intervention and designed to provide struggling in some skill that’s enrichment time. students with more going to be very important to “Basically, students who the second quarter learning. are behind, students who intervention and We can give them a little bit of may be failing a course, who enrichment time. a head start on that to make may be struggling with some them more successful in the skill, whatever it might be, second quarter.” will have an opportunity for Another advantage of the schedule is short bursts of additional instruction through that it gives students and teachers some time the year,” Laurence says.

The modified calendar was approved in to refresh after nine weeks. Administrators January 2022 to give students, teachers and noticed that by the end of the first quarter of parents time to plan and get used to the new the academic year, in mid-fall, there was an schedule. The premise is to give two weeks increase in student and teacher absenteeism.

“We also have more student discipline off at the end of each nine-week instructional period. The traditional school year begins in issues come up around that time,” Laurence late August, but students began this academic says. “So, one of the conversations that we had year on July 25 and got a two-week break when talking about the modified calendar was October 2-13. Christmas break remains two maybe having a fall break will address some of

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Photo by Randy Pace

that. Everyone gets a chance to refresh — staff and students alike — then start [back] the second quarter. So that’s a big part of it.”

Aiken County isn’t the first South Carolina public school district to implement a modified calendar. Greenwood (50, 51, 52) and McCormick have started school in July since 2021-22. This year, several other counties, including Edgefield and Bamberg, began their school year before August 1.

South Carolina state law says the opening date for students must not be before the third Monday in August, except for districts operating on a modified school calendar. School boards can implement these calendars as long as they label the

published calendar as a “year-round modified calendar” and there is instruction for 180 days.

Aiken County Public Schools students are still in school for 180 days, and teachers will still work 190 days.

“Those other school districts have been successful in it, and I think several other districts are watching us, looking at following our lead,” Laurence says. “We have been seeing some positives in surveys of students, parents and staff members.

I think this has the possibility to not only improve the school climate in Aiken County but also hopefully have an impact on academic achievement.”

“But what we can do is focus on specific skills or topics and give students a boost into the next nine weeks so they won’t be as behind as they would have been.”

– King Laurence, superintendent of Aiken County Public Schools

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023

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PRO

MORE BALANCED YEARLY CALENDAR

LESS LEARNING LOSS OVER THE SUMMER

LESS TIME SPENT REVIEWING AT THE START OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR

REMEDIATION CAN BE DONE DURING THE YEAR

HELPS BALANCE OVERCROWDED STUDENT POPULATION

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CON

CHALLENGES OF FINDING DAYCARE

LOSS OF LONGER BREAKS FOR STUDENTS AND FOR FAMILY VACATIONS

LOSS OF SUMMER ACTIVITIES/ EXTRACURRICULAR SPORTS

INCREASED SCHOOL COSTS FOR RUNNING YEAR-ROUND

BUY-IN BY FAMILIES FOR THE NON-TRADITIONAL MODEL

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Photo cour tesy of Augusta Prep on Facebook

Laurence points out that there is no definitive data on a modified calendar improving academic achievement, “but that feels like the logical next step that we’ll be able to see by providing the intervention throughout the year.”

The Richmond County School System is not considering changing to a modified calendar.

Dr. Malinda Cobb, the associate superintendent of academic services, said that when setting the academic calendar, the team surveys the community to identify calendar priorities and uses the survey data and assessment schedule to build Richmond County’s academic calendar.

“When building the calendar, we consider time for teacher planning and preparation, parent conferencing windows, grading windows, federal holidays and state testing windows,” she explained in an email. “We strategically placed breaks throughout the calendar to support student learning and teacher planning. We ensure 180 days of instruction with a balanced 90 days in each semester with fall semester ending before the Christmas/winter break and spring semester ending before Memorial Day.” She said the calendar reflects what the majority of the stakeholders selected.

Augusta Preparatory Day School, a private school in Martinez, sees many benefits from

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continuing its traditional calendar. Classes began on August 8 and the school year will end in late May. “I think our families like consistency and being able to plan vacations, be it at Christmas time or during the summer,” says Chris Gay, Augusta Prep’s director of communications. “And some of them take vacations when we have fall and spring breaks.”

Fall break at Augusta Prep includes a Thursday and Friday, and spring break is one week, aligned with the Masters Tournament. The private school also has a very popular summer camp program, Camp Cavalier, that runs for eight weeks through June and July.

“We have seen tremendous growth in that since 2021,” Gay said. “And it’s open to all non-Prep kids.”

Because of Camp Cavalier, the longer summer makes sense for Augusta Prep, but Laurence maintains the modified calendar makes sense for Aiken County.

“All of us grew up with long summer vacations, so that will take some time to get used to, but I believe that after this first fall break, people will recognize that this is something that makes sense for us,” Laurence explains. “I’ve had a number of people tell me they like to go to the mountains during the fall leaf season. This gives them a chance to do it without taking their kids out of school or rushing to do it over a weekend.”

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PUBLIC SCHOOLS To find out more about the public schools in our local area, visit the following websites: Richmond County Public Schools

Columbia County Public Schools

Aiken County Public Schools

www.rcboe.org

www.ccboe.net

www.acpsd.net

LOCAL SCHOOL LISTING This listing for area private schools, colleges and universities is provided as a convenience to our readers.

It is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to reflect any endorsement from Augusta magazine.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS Alleluia Community School 2819 Peach Orchard Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 793-9663 Aquinas High School 1920 Highland Ave. Augusta, GA (706) 736-5516 Augusta Christian School 313 Baston Rd. Martinez, GA (706) 863-2905 Augusta Preparatory Day School 285 Flowing Wells Rd. Martinez, GA (706) 863-1906 C.H. Terrell Academy 2367 Washington Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 736-6216 Community Christian Academy 4594 Columbia Road Martinez, GA (706) 426-8881

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Curtis Baptist School 1326 Broad St. Augusta, GA (706) 828-6624

Kingdom Kids Christian Academy 1434 Poplar St. Augusta, GA (706) 724-1086 ext. 23

Episcopal Day School 2248 Walton Way Augusta, GA (706) 733-1192

Mead Hall Episcopal School 619 Barnwell Ave. NW Aiken, SC (803) 648-3223

Evans Christian Academy 4227 Columbia Rd. Martinez, GA (762) 383-4421

Our Lady of Peace 137 Way of Peace North Augusta, SC (803) 279-8396 ext. 100

Heritage Academy 333 Greene St. Augusta, GA (706) 821-0034

St. Mary On the Hill Catholic School 1220 Monte Sano Ave. Augusta, GA (706) 733-6193

Hillcrest Baptist School 3045 Deans Bridge Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 798-5600

Victory Christian School 620 W. Martintown Rd. North Augusta, SC (803) 278-0125

Immaculate Conception Catholic School 811 Telfair St. Augusta, GA (706) 722-9964

Westminster Schools of Augusta 3067 Wheeler Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 731-5260

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Photo Courtesy of Augusta University

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Aiken Technical College 2276 Jefferson Davis Highway Graniteville, SC (803) 593-9231 Augusta Technical College Main Campus 3200 Augusta Tech Drive Augusta, GA (706) 771-4000 Augusta University Health Sciences Campus 1482 Laney Walker Blvd.

Augusta, GA (706) 760-4152 Augusta University Summerville Campus 2500 Walton Way Augusta, GA (706) 721-0211

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Brenau University 500 Washington St. SE Gainesville, GA (770) 534-6299

Strayer University 1330 Augusta West Parkway Augusta, GA (706) 855-8233

Georgia Military College (Augusta Campus) 115 Davis Rd. Martinez, GA (706) 993-1123

Troy University 2743 Perimeter Parkway Bldg. 100, Suite 101 Augusta, GA (800) 414-5756

Helms College 3145 Washington Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 651-9707 Miller-Motte Technical College 3128 Deans Bridge Rd. Augusta, GA (706) 619-2090 Paine College 1235 15th St. Augusta, GA (706) 821-8200

University of South Carolina – Aiken 471 University Parkway Aiken, SC (803) 648-6851 Webster University (Fort Gordon) 271 Heritage Park Ln. Bldg. 35200 Augusta, GA (706) 798-3955

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