By Holly Fesperman Lee

Salisbury Post

North Rowan High School is set to receive a state assistance team to look at school improvement plans.

Dr. Becky Smith, assistant superintendent for curriculum for the Rowan-Salisbury School System, said she doesn’t know exactly when the team is to arrive.

According to Smith, any high school that did not achieve 70 percent proficiency on end of course performance composite scores for 2006 will be on Gov. Mike Easley’s list to receive a visit from an assessment team.

North Rowan is the only high school in the Rowan-Salisbury System on that list, Smith said.

The team will visit North Rowan to look at what efforts are being make toward improving academic achievement. Smith said the central office will submit North’s school improvement plan and additional ideas for targeted improvement to the Department of Public Instruction this week.

North Rowan Principal Rodney Bass presented North’s plan to raise student test scores at the December school board meeting.

The plan included using the AVID ( Advancement Via Individual Determination) and Read 180 programs to help raise test scores.

The AVID program encourages C students to start thinking about college, taking upper level classes and encourages them to develop closer relationships with advisers.

Read 180 is a computer-based program that focuses on helping low-level readers pass the reading competency test required for high school graduation. The program will cover word recognition and reading comprehension.

Smith said school improvement plans are available at all schools and will soon be available online through the Rowan-Salisbury School System Web site, www.rss.k12.nc.us.

Contact Holly Lee at 704-797-7683 or hlee@salisburypost.com.