News & Notes
Greenville County Schools is undergoing a Shared Ownership Strategic Review Process, a review of special education services for students with disabilities. Among the first steps in the process is gathering input from GCS families through a survey. Every parent or guardian of a GCS student with an IEP is invited to take the Shared Ownership Survey. Please complete the survey by January 31st. To take the survey or learn more about the entire review process, visit the district’s website.
ACCESS Testing Schedule
We are approaching ACCESS for ELLs testing and are getting ready to test for proficiency in the English language. Each year, students in English learner programs take the ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test. The test measures academic English language proficiency for students learning English in our school and throughout our state. The testing window for grades K-8 is between January 21- March 7, 2025. Please note that kindergarten students will be tested individually within the first two weeks of the window.
Rudolph Gordon School’s testing schedule for ACCESS is as follows:
| Test | Testing Dates | Approximate Time for Testing |
| Listening Test | February 3 | 65 minutes |
| Reading Test | February 4 | 60 minutes |
| Speaking Test |
February 7: 5th-8th grades February 11-14: 1st-4th grades |
50 minutes |
| Writing Test |
February 10: 5th-8th grades February 21: 1st-4th grades |
70-90 minutes |
Parents and families, here is a link to the SCDE’s Students and Parent Resources webpage. WIDA has also provided additional resources for Family Engagement that may be printed and shared with parents and families that are helpful regarding ACCESS testing.
Due to a legislative action by the South Carolina General Assembly, the South Carolina State Board of Education passed a new cell phone policy for school districts across the state, which goes into effect after Winter Break. School districts must adopt this policy pertaining to personal electronic devices. At their December meeting, the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees approved an updated policy to comply with the state requirement. Due to the restrictions implemented by the State, electronic devices, including smartwatches and accessories, cannot be worn during the school day. While Greenville County Schools had updated our policy last year and this is not significantly different, we want to make sure you are aware of the most notable updates in order to comply with the state.
Details about the updated policy at each level – elementary, middle and high school – can be reviewed on the district’s website.
Greenville County Schools Cell Phone Policy Updates
Parents are invited to attend the Parent Academy, a comprehensive workshop designed to support families in navigating the special education process. This event offers a valuable opportunity to connect with other parents and explore essential topics, including:
An overview of special education
The evaluation process
The roles of parents and students in the IEP process
Understanding the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Answers to your questions
Information about available resources
Sessions will be held at MT Anderson from 1:00 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. on the following dates:
January 24, 2025
March 7, 2025
Greenville County School Calendars
2024-2025 School Year Calendar
2025-2026 School Year Calendar