Because tests are given in almost every grade and often in several parts, it is difficult to assess overall performance without some amount of aggregation. In order to make overall performance comparisons across school districts and across time, a Total Academic Performance Index has been created which reduces the different test scores into a single composite score.

The Total Academic Performance Index is simply an average across several standardized tests. All of the PACT scores (third through eighth grade with math and language arts subtests in each year), the Exit Exam scores (given in tenth grade with reading, writing and math subtests), and the average SAT scores (math plus verbal) are used in its computation.

	Total Academic Performance Index: 1999-2001 Performance Results
	Total Academic Performance Index: 1998-1999 Performance Results
	SC Department of Education 1998-2001 Test Results (coming soon)
	SC Department of Education 1988-99 Performance Profiles

* South Carolina Standardized Tests: CSAB, PACT Series, Exit Exam, SAT.

Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery (CSAB): Used to measure student readiness to begin the first grade school curriculum, reported on this site in terms of percentages of district students meeting state standards. Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT): Designed to measure the achievement levels of South Carolina students in grades three through eight, replacing the Basic Skills Assessment Program (BSAP) in 1999, reported on this site in terms of percentages of district students meeting state standards. Exit Examination: First administered to students in the spring of their tenth-grade year, includes three subtests (reading, mathematics, and writing), reported on this site in terms of percentages of district students meeting state standards. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT): Standardized composite score of performance on math and verbal sections, reported on this site in terms of average district score relative to the state average.

	Related Links
		SCTLC - South Carolina Teaching Learning Connecting An S.C. Department of Education web site with a searchable database containing thousands of lesson plans, test items and links to curriculum resources. The curriculum standards outline what material students should know by the end of each school year. The material is tested on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT), the primary measure used in the state report cards.
		S.C. Department of Education Statistics Test scores, telephone directory, state and district profiles, rankings, financial data, and school calendars. Also links to other sites. Other reports and information can be found on the S.C. Department of Education home page.