New school to open for students with dyslexia in the Midlands

Earlier this month, the Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence (PACE) Academy was approved by the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Public Charter School District.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — Earlier this month, the Palmetto Achievement Center for Excellence (PACE) Academy was approved by the Board of Trustees for the South Carolina Public Charter School District. PACE Academy will be the first tuition-free school for students struggling with dyslexia and language-based reading difficulties in the Midlands.

“Everything that we do in a regular classroom is connected with reading in some type of way. So if you can’t read the words on the page, then it’s very hard for you to access the content that the teacher’s trying to give,” said Melissa Rabon, Board Chairperson for PACE Academy. “Through our research, we found that the best way for these children to improve academically is to provide them with a structured, literacy approach. An intense, structured literacy approach.”

This new school will be available for those who may need it.

“If children don’t receive a structured approach to literacy, then they’re very unlikely to become proficient readers in life. And we all know that the key to education and success in life is being able to read,” said Rabon.

The school will be open in fall 2021, with hiring of staff and teachers taking place this fall.

“We feel like northeast Columbia is going to be the best fit for us, because it’s going to allow us to serve the most number of students possible,” said Rabon.

“PACE Academy is going to be located in an area where it’s much more accessible along public bus routes, for students in high poverty and urban situations,” said Dr. Jodi Zeis, a Volunteer Board Member with PACE Academy.

Students who attend will get more one-on-one attention through smaller class sizes.

“Our beginning year, we’re going to start with kids in grades three through seven. It’s because most children aren’t’ diagnosed with dyslexia until they get to around the third grade, maybe a little bit later,” said Rabon.

The new school will help build confidence in students across the Midlands.

It will build that self-efficacy, that they are able to learn, they are able to be productive, and they are intelligent,” said Zeis.

For more information on PACE, click here.