South Carolina schools received additional federal coronavirus relief funds from the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package signed into law in March 2021.  This is the third round of funding schools across the country will receive from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program. 

School districts in South Carolina will receive a portion of the funds based on the number of Title I students, or students in poverty, they have. The School District of Pickens County’s ESSER III allocation is $26,287,619 to address students’ academic, social, and emotional needs resulting from the impact of COVID-19 for the three-year period through September 2024.

Based on public feedback beginning in July 2021 from more than 1,700 stakeholders, the district developed a plan addressing these needs specifically focused on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented, vulnerable student subgroups, including each major racial and ethnic group, gender, low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care.

In exploring best ways to meet the needs of our students and meet the requirements of the ARP-ESSER allocation, the School District of Pickens County focused on adopting the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. Here are some details about MTSS:

MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports, and it's an educational framework designed to help all students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. MTSS is based on the idea that every student is unique and may require different levels of support to meet their individual needs. It involves a tiered approach, which means that support is provided in different levels or tiers based on the intensity of a student's needs.

The key components of MTSS include:

• Data-based decision-making: Teachers and educators collect and analyze data to identify students who may need additional support and to measure the effectiveness of interventions.

• Collaboration: Teachers, school staff, and parents work together as a team to support the child's progress. Parents are considered valuable partners in the MTSS process, and their input is essential.

• Progress monitoring: Regular assessment and progress monitoring are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the support provided. Adjustments are made based on the student's response to the interventions.

MTSS requires additional resources, including personnel, time, and materials, to provide targeted and intensive support to students at different tiers.

Request for Feedback

The following survey was shared with SDPC Stakeholders in July 2021 to gather feedback:

Survey - ESSER - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Public Input Questionnaire for SDPC .

This survey remained open throughout the 2021-22 school year.

Survey Responses

You may view all responses to the ESSER - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Public Input Questionnaire for SDPC here:

State Approved ESSER III plan updates

Request for Feedback - Summer 2022

In July 2022, SDPC asked stakeholders for feedback as we looked to maximize the use of ESSER III funds by amending our approved plan to best serve the needs of our students in the following ways: 

• Adjust the classroom camera system allocation to purchase additional student use technology to include Chromebooks and educational software resources.    

• The district will reallocate funds from purchasing Math 180 and will focus on strengthening Tier 1 mathematics instruction in grades 6-8 and in Algebra 1 by working with Southern Regional Education Board to provide professional development and coaching to support High School Ready Mathematics. Also the district will fund training and access for ALEKS and Bridges Math.   

• Funds will be redirected from READ 180 intervention into resources and professional development to improve students' written communication skills. Instructional materials, resources, and professional learning expenses related to these areas will be based on research-based practices from literacy leaders such as, Jennifer Servallo, Carl Anderson, and/or Ruth Cullam.

• The district will continue using the allocated budget to address students’ needs by hiring teachers to provide extended learning time opportunities.

• The district will also use these funds to support the development of effective intervention through research-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) practices using Solution Tree's RTI at Work or PLC at Work Institutes.

The following survey was shared with SDPC Stakeholders in July 2022 to gather feedback::

• Survey - ESSER III Funding - Public Input - Summer 2022

This survey remained open throughout the 2022-23 school year.

Survey Responses

You may view all responses to the ESSER III Funding - Public Input - Summer 2022 here:

State Approved ESSER III plan updates

Request for Feedback - Summer 2023

In July 2023, SDPC is again seeking feedback as we look to maximize the use of ESSER III funds by amending our approved plan to best serve the needs of our students in the following ways: 

• Instead of purchasing the Read 180 and Math 180 curriculums, the district plans to move this money to be used to provide training through RTI at Work and PLC at Work, and other professional development opportunities that will provide faculty with the tools necessary to implement MTSS.

• Any remaining funds that were allocated for Bridges Math and other planned math interventions should be moved to be used to purchase IXL, or similar math intervention programs.

• Funds allocated for the GAP Analysis should be moved to be able to purchase Instructure materials (formative assessments) or other programs that provide formative assessment tools and resources.

• SDPC plans to implement common formative assessments to gauge student learning and progress in 23-24, to implement strong formative assessments, SDPC would like to purchase the KDS Item Bank within the Instructure platform. The KDS Item Bank provides rigorous questions in each of the core areas that can be tracked throughout the year.

• Any funds not used in purchases or training will be utilized to support the MTSS initiative in SDPC.

These funds will be budgeted for and spent by September 30th, 2024.

The following survey was shared with SDPC Stakeholders in July 2023 to gather feedback:

• Survey - ESSER III Funding - Public Input - Summer 2023

Survey Responses

You may view all responses to the ESSER III Funding - Public Input - Summer 2023 here:

State Approved ESSER III plan updates

Request for Feedback - Summer 2024

In May 2024, SDPC is again seeking feedback as we look to maximize and close out the use of ESSER III funds by amending our approved plan to best serve the needs of our students in the following ways: 

• SDPC has worked diligently to create a multi-tiered system of support within the district to ensure that all students are learning at high levels. This framework guarantees that all students are provided strong Tier I instruction and that interventions and extensions are provided in a timely manner. As part of our effort to provide teachers with the resources needed to provide our students with a top notch education, we would like to purchase technological equipment that can be used to provide teachers with the ability to collaborate across the district (cameras, laptops) and also ensure that instructional leaders have access to all teachers virtually during the day by utilizing common planning periods across the district.

• We would also like to continue to purchase supplies that can be used to provide teachers with hands-on and real world opportunities for students- these supplies will address the learning loss sustained from COVID-19 and provide enrichment opportunities for students that have not had access to supplemental enrichment opportunities for the last four years. These supplies include science and math manipulatives, reading tools (like Reading A-Z), comprehensive science units that incorporate laboratory experiments, decodables and teaching resources to supplement our curriculum that is aligned to the Science of Reading, Hands on Math teacher tools, and other similar materials. In addition, we would like to purchase high quality instructional materials like the Mastery Connect Item Database and/or the iReady teacher tool box and personalized learning platform to provide teachers with the resources needed to assess and teach students at different levels.

• We would also like to use these funds to purchase additional computers to be used in our Adult Education and ESL classes to allow for our multilingual learners, and GED students the opportunity to be provided with robust technology curriculum (like Rosetta Stone, Ellevation, etc.) that will support their lifelong learning goals.

• We are still supporting our MTSS roll out and looking to continue to provide training for teachers that will support scaffolding our lessons to support all levels of learners. This training will include training on MTSS and co-teaching practices and also provide administrators with monitoring tools to support student progress

These funds will be budgeted for and spent by September 30th, 2024.

Please provide us your feedback through the following survey:

• Survey - ESSER III Funding - Public Input - Summer 2024