The State Library is proud to present the South Carolina Family Friendly Standards web site, in conjunction with the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee.
An exceptional education system provides many tools that help children learn. Academic content standards are an integral part of the system, as they set clear, high expectations for student achievement at each grade level. These standards are useful for making sure teachers know what is to be taught; children know what is to be learned; and families and the public can determine how well the concepts are being learned.
Each year, the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) publish a series of guides to help families understand the South Carolina content standards. The guides, known as the Family-Friendly Standards, provide families with easy-to-understand information directly tied to the content standards. Produced in English and Spanish, the guides include sample activities, books, and websites for each subject area.
"Families are the first and most important teachers in children's lives," stated Jo Anne Anderson, EOC Executive Director. "When parents and guardians understand what children are learning in school, they can reinforce and extend that learning at home. These standards are an essential tool for families and schools to use in building each student's success."
In late 2008, the SC State Library partnered with the EOC and the SCDE to produce an interactive version of the Family-Friendly Standards. The new website, www.scffs.org, provides families with interactive activities to support the teaching and learning that occurs in the state's public schools. This easy-to-use tool enables families to participate actively in their child's education. The web site currently provides the English Language Arts sections for Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades. Additional grade levels and subjects will be available in 2010.
According to David Goble, Director of the State Library, the new web site "makes more widely available the information that parents need to help their children succeed in school." Goble continued to say that "this unique partnership helps everyone in the state, from students and parents, to educators and libraries."
For more information about this unique partnership and the new web site, contact Dana Yow, Director of Communications and Community Involvement, South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, 803-734-6164, danay@eoc.sc.gov.
