Staff Report

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina House of Representatives approved a plan Wednesday that will replace the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) in favor of a diagnostic test.

This move is the first major change lawmakers have made to the Educational Accountability Act since passing it 10 years ago.

“By allowing teachers to use a diagnostic test, we are no longer simply testing our students’ progress,” House Speaker Bobby Harrell said. “We will be providing teachers with real results they can use to adapt their teaching methods and help them provide our students the best education possible.”

The bill replaces the PACT test with a diagnostic test and brings South Carolina in line with No Child Left Behind, the speaker's office said in a statement. This gives the state the ability to compare the success of South Carolina students with other students around the country.

Bob Walker, chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, said, “With this bill, we are creating a more responsive educational system. The changes we have made puts more control in the hands of our state’s teachers.  Now concerns can be addressed in the classroom, instead of the next grade.”

Education reform while keeping the high standards of the EAA was a top priority for House members.

“Our state has some of the highest education standards and accountability measures in the nation," Harrell said. "I am pleased to see the House keep those high standards in place with the passage of this bill.”