Always Improving
CCSD continues to look for ways to increase student success and offer
Continued, Page 10
2022-2023 | CLASS ACT 7
The Cherokee County
School District is known for
its blue ribbon reputation,
earned through providing
excellent educational
opportunities for every
student.
The district’s logo
incorporates blue ribbons,
and this past school year
another color could have
been added: gold.
Through the dedication
of its outstanding teachers
and support staff, the
leadership of its School
Board, Superintendent and
district and school leaders,
the support of its volunteers
and business partners,
CCSD achieved the
gold standard – several
times over.
Among the most impressive
honors from the
past school year, CCSD:
achieved renewal of its
accreditation as a
high-quality school system,
earned the state’s most
prestigious honor for
School Boards – the Governance
Team of the Year,
won its first ever top
national award for the
highest possible level of
government financial
reporting, and accomplished
the renewal of its
school police department’s
state certified agency
designation. Those are just
a few of the many positive
headlines for CCSD, with
numerous other accolades
earned by the district’s
students, teachers, support
staff, leaders, volunteers
and partners.
“What we have built
together in our community
is remarkable,” Superintendent
of Schools Dr. Brian V.
Hightower said. “Thank
you to everyone who helped
make these successes possible,
as these recognitions
honor the incredible dedication
of our teachers and
support staff, partners and
volunteers and leaders,
including our School
Board, to provide the best
to our students. We do not
rest on our laurels, so we
hope you’re ready for
another great year of
innovation and opportunities
for our students.”
Accreditation is the
highest level of overall
accountability for school
systems. It is achieved
through an independent
review by a team of education
professionals who
measure excellence by set
standards. CCSD is accredited
by Cognia, formerly
known as AdvancED and
SACS, which is considered
the top accreditation
organization in the world
by both public and private
K-12 schools and school
systems, colleges and
universities.
Cognia reviews school
districts in three main
areas: Learning, which
includes curriculum,
instruction and assessment;
Resources, which
includes use of resources
entrusted to it by taxpayers;
and Leadership, which
includes the governance of
the School Board and
Superintendent of Schools,
including accountability
and transparency efforts
and School Board policies.
While Cognia review
teams often have recommendations
for improvement,
for CCSD, the team
instead recommended that
the Superintendent and
School Board stay the
course on current initiatives,
specifically noting
existing plans to step up
blended learning to further
incorporate technology in
classrooms and to provide
even more future-ready
skills to graduates.
Blended learning is a
teaching style that leverages
instructional technology,
for which CCSD is a national
leader, to further improve
classroom teaching.
Professional development
offered by CCSD’s Office of
Technology & Information
Services guides teachers in
using new technology and
improving their mastery of
devices and programs
already in use.
The goal, Dr. Hightower
said, is not for a student
to spend all of their class
time only on a computer or
new programs to meet student needs