Rowan-Salisbury’s college-bound students are gradually improving their SAT scores, and it’s a good thing. The competition to get into college grows tougher every day.

Everyone from the students in the classroom to the taxpayers at home can take some satisfaction in the Rowan SAT-score rise. Over the past five years, local scores have increased 40 points, from 946 in 1996 to 986 in 2000. Meanwhile, the state average climbed only 12 points, to 988. The national average inched up a mere six points, to 1019.

The concerted and costly effort to improve education in Rowan appears to be paying off. Progress under the state’s ABC accountability plan hit a plateau in the most recent results but still showed higher levels of achievement. And on the SAT, local students are catching up with the state and nation, and have a considerable amount of momentum. Though it’s easy to read too much into SAT scores, the schools deserve credit for whatever progress they can make.

North Rowan and East Rowan high schools probably are particularly excited about their students’ big jump in scores —79 points at North and 56 at East. The challenge will be to maintain that progress.

State officials may be disappointed in this year’s results. Statewide scores went up only two points from last year to this. That leaves North Carolina in the all-too-familiar 48th spot in SAT rankings. It’s frustrating to see the state’s heavy investment in education yield such meager results on the SAT.

The SAT test is not the be-all, end-all, but it can make a big difference for students who want to go to college. The school system should continue to emphasize the language and mathematical skills which the SAT measures —not to the exclusion of everything else, but certainly at the core of a strong curriculum.

The system has taken great strides forward in raising its expectations of students and offering them more challenging courses. A decade ago, the system administered only 114 Advanced Placement tests in the entire county. By 1999, it was administering 659 tests, and one of the most frequently heard complaints is that AP courses should be more widely available here.

The system has responded by creating a “web academy” that offers AP courses, regular courses and SAT preparation. So far 25 students from around the county have signed up to take seven AP courses this way. Most are from East Rowan and Salisbury high schools, which already have high AP offerings.

This emphasis on stretching for higher goals and tackling more advanced material should help test scores of all kinds continue to climb. With colleges facing a baby boomlet increase in applications, Rowan young people will need that advantage.