A visionary decision to move forward with a referendum from the District Three School Board a few years ago is already paying dividends as performance at the district’s middle school is among the top of all middle schools in the area.
The board put a referendum before voters in July 2020, which overwhelmingly passed. A key component of that referendum was to consolidate Cowpens Middle School and the Middle School of Pacolet into one middle school which eventually became Clifdale Middle School.
Although this was a difficult decision, the board believed it would give students a competitive advantage in academics, athletics, and the arts. Clifdale Middle School officially opened for the 2021-2022 school year.
In their final year, both Cowpens Middle School and Middle School of Pacolet ranked in the bottom half or close to the bottom half academically of all middle schools in Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee Counties. However, numbers now show that since the consolidation, overall student performance has significantly improved.
During their final year in 2021, Cowpens Middle School and Middle School of Pacolet ranked 10th and 17th out of 22 when looking at meets and exceeds percentages on state standardized assessments.
This year, Clifdale Middle School ranked third and was just two points shy of an excellent rating on the South Carolina Report Card!
“Our students are growing every day, and we want what’s best for them,” said Clifdale Middle School Principal Dr. Max Deaton. “They are why we are here, and they are what’s important. As long as they are successful and we are looking at what is best for them, then our eyes and our focus are where they need to be. We want people to see that we are the best middle school in the nation.”
Additionally, before consolidation, our ELA (English Language Arts) meets and exceeds percentage was 39%. During the first year at Clifdale Middle, ELA scores jumped to 45% and this year they increased to 55.7%.
In 2021 at Cowpens Middle School and Middle School of Pacolet, our meets and exceeds percentage in Math was 25.5%. During the first year at Clidale Middle, math jumped to 35% and this year it is 40.7%.
There is also much to celebrate in athletics. In 2022-23, Clifdale’s football, women’s basketball and wrestling teams won their conference championships. This year, Clifdale’s football team finished with a 7-1 record and their only loss was in the conference championship game.
So, what is making the impact?
The answer lies in a few new strategies. For one, there is now double-blocked time in Math and ELA for all grade levels at Clifdale Middle School. Students went from 50 minutes in Math and ELA to 100 minutes.
There are also intentional common planning meetings with all grade levels and departments. The administration makes these meetings a priority and attends the meetings to collaborate.
In addition, formative assessments aligned to the standards are routinely analyzed to impact instruction, which helps to address student learning needs. Small group instruction specifically targets student needs in each subject area and lower student teacher ratios and collaboration centered on intentional instruction, common assessments, and interventions is also attributed to the success.
“The answers to school improvement are found in the data, which sometimes indicates changes that are necessary yet also challenging,” said Superintendent Dr. Julie Fowler. “Consolidating schools is never easy but the data indicated consolidation was the best option for Pacolet and Cowpens middle schools. Steeped in legacies and rich traditions, the board wanted to celebrate and honor these schools throughout the consolidation stages. With the help of students, staff, parents, and our communities, we are writing a new chapter at Clifdale Middle while building on the foundation of the previous chapters that will always be part of our story. Thank you, D3 Board of Trustees, for your vision and support and to Dr. Deaton, the leadership team, and Clifdale faculty and staff for your intentionality and clarity, which has proven to be foundational to the consolidation success. This is an exemplar of Be the Change!”