Elizabeth Cook
ecook@salisburypost.com

Eighty-two percent of the schools in the Rowan-Salisbury System met their expected growth target for 2007-2008, according to a press release the school system sent out this morning.

“This is a significant increase over the 48 percent of schools that met growth last year and the less than 20 percent of schools that met growth the year before last,” the release says.

“More exciting news — 56 percent (over half) of our schools met High Growth, which is another significant increase over the 21 percent of schools that met High Growth last year.” This qualified certified staff members and teacher assistants at 28 schools to receive bonuses for their work in 2007-2008.

That includes 18 out of 20 elementary schools: Bostian, China Grove, Cleveland, Enochville, Granite Quarry, Koontz, Shive, Faith, Hurley, Knollwood, Landis, Millbridge, Morgan, Mt. Ulla, North Rowan, Overton, Rockwell and Woodleaf elementary schools.

It includes six of the seven middle schools: Erwin, China Grove, Corriher-Lipe, North Rowan, Southeast and West Rowan middle schools.

Four high schools — Carson, Henderson Independent, East Rowan and North Rowan — also met expected growth.

Not meeting expected growth were Isenberg and Hanford Dole elementary schools; Knox Middle School; and Salisbury, South Rowan and West Rowan high schools.

“There is so much to celebrate from the release of the tests scores today,” said Dr. Judy Grissom, superintendent. “And to have increased the number of schools meeting their growth as significantly as we did is amazing. We are especially pleased that such a large number of teachers and teacher assistants in 28 of our 34 schools will see a financial reward.

We certainly wish that every employee could have been recognized financially for all of their hard work during this past year. Our focus is and will continue to be on improving academic achievement for all students.” For more details, read Friday’s Salisbury Post.