Rowan Salisbury Schools performance is not flat. RSS continues to fall below state averages. The Department of Public Instruction will release more data in October, but look at what has been released online at www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/reporting/

Statewide the number of low-performing schools, low-performing districts and recurring low-performing schools has decreased.  RSS is holding at 14 low-performing schools.

Statewide 72.7 percent of schools met or exceeded growth expectations; only 27.3 percent did not. Fourteen RSS schools are in that bottom percent.

In our Southwest District, only 2.9 percent of the schools had grades of F.  RSS has a large percentage of those F scores.

Six of our middle schools were low-performing.

EOG reading scores are in bad shape: Only four schools showed positive growth. The largest percentage was 1 percent; the others were less. That is not statistically significant. The rest of our elementary and middle schools went backwards. One school had a negative growth score of -5.29.

EOG math scores are not much better. Eleven of the schools showed growth, most with minimal or non-significant growth. There were a few bright spots at the elementary school level.  One school went backwards 8.37 percent.

Numbers don’t lie.  RSS students are being left behind.  We are at the bottom when it comes to  academic progress.  The methods Dr. Moody introduced are not working.  The first year after the digital conversion we were told it was an implementation dip.  The dip continues to deepen. Now, Moody is excited about the Renewal District plan.  She has said there will most likely be an implementation dip after the first year.  Recently, Moody was quoted saying, “I don’t race to win; I race to finish.”  At this rate, RSS will finish dead last. How low do we have to go before our school board stands up and says, enough?

— Karen Bowyer

Salisbury