Two Union County schools were honored for academics and will receive more than $15,000 for their efforts.

Cindy Langley, director of Secondary Education, said that Union County High School has won the Palmetto Gold Award and Lockhart Schools the Palmetto Silver Award for outstanding academic performance. Mrs. Langley said the schools are among more than 400 in the state to receive the awards from the S.C. Department of Education for 2008.

The Palmetto Gold and Silver Awards program was created by the Education Accountability Act to recognize schools for high levels of academic achievement and high rates of student academic improvement. The award criteria is based on the absolute and improvement ratings assigned to each school on the 2008 report cards. The ratings are based on Exit Exam results, the graduation rate and End of Course test results.

The awards come with a cash prize. Mrs. Langley said UCHS will receive $12,988 while Lockhart will receive $2,478. She said the size of the cash prize is determined by a combination of factors including student enrollment.

Each winning school receives an award flag and a certificate.

Mrs. Langley said that while cash prizes, certificates and flags are welcome, the real prize is the academic achievement of the schools.

“We certainly commend the teachers, administrators, parents, and students at Union County High School and Lockhart for their hard work and dedication in achieving these accomplishments,” she said. “Celebrating student success is the ultimate reward for all of us.”

Mrs. Langley said both schools experienced significant improvement in their absolute academic performance from 2007 to 2008.

“Lockhart Middle had an improvement of four-tenths; they went from a 2.6 on their absolute rating in 2007 to a 3.0 in 2008,” she said. That’s based on PACT performance in ELA (English/Language Arts), math, science and social studies. Union County High went up six-tenths; from 2.8 to 3.4 on their absolute rating. The entire report card system is designed to recognize improvement which these Palmetto Gold and Silver awards are given for.”

UCHS Principal Joe Walker said the school will look at a variety of uses for the money ranging from student incentives to SAT and ACT materials to help students prepare for the tests. He said the school will also consult with Mrs. Langley about what other uses for the money.

“I’m just excited for this community, our teachers, faculty and staff, our students and parents and everybody that supports Union County High School,” he said. “This doesn’t happen every day. We’re just really excited.”

Mrs. Langley added that part of Lockhart’s recognition was for closing the achievement gap between subgroups of students. In previous years, the academic performance of students receiving free and reduced lunches had lagged behind that of other subgroups.

“One of the positives of No Child Left Behind is that we are examining the data by subgroups to make sure that we’re serving all children,” she said. “We certainly congratulate the teachers and administrators at Lockhart for implementing instructional strategies such as collaboration and cooperative learning to meet the needs of all their students.”

Lockhart Schools Principal Gene Palmer the school will conduct a survey of teachers, staff and members PTO and School Improvement Council on how best to use the money.

“You’re always pleased when you get recognized for doing something good,” he said. “I haven’t been at Lockhart too long but I’ve been very impressed with the faculty, staff, students and community support. There’s a lot of learning going on at Lockhart.”