Roanoke Rapids Graded School District experienced tremendous growth in the 2022-23 school year according to accountability data presented to the State Board of Education today. RRGSD experienced notable increases across several schools, including two schools moving up a school performance grade level. Four out of five schools exceeded or met expected growth and all five schools increased growth scores, which helped the district move out of low performance designation. Out of 29 low performing districts in 2021-2022, RRGSD is one of only four school districts to exit low performing district status this year. Superintendent Julie Thompson stated, “I am so proud of the perseverance and dedication that our students, educators, and families have shown. We will continue to focus our energy and efforts to work smart together across the district to keep the momentum going. Together, we succeed.”
Belmont Elementary earned a grade of 52/D but grew in all tested areas, increased 15 points in its school performance grade, and only missed exceeding growth by two tenths of a point. Manning Elementary earned a grade of 63/C, increased 7 points in its school performance grade and also met growth. Chaloner Middle earned a grade of 55/C, increased 6 points in its school performance grade and exceeded expected growth. Roanoke Rapids High maintained the same school performance grade of 53/D, but increased 4 points in growth, and Roanoke Rapids Early College increased 3 points in its school performance grade, exceeded expected growth with high proficiency in all tested areas, and earned a grade of 80/B.
According to a press release from the NC Department of Public Instruction, State Superintendent Catherine Truitt stated, “It’s hard to overstate the impact of the pandemic, but teachers across North Carolina are working harder than ever to help students recover, and more importantly, advance in their learning. We owe them our gratitude for meeting this challenge to improve outcomes for students.
“We’ve now seen two consecutive years of gains that were greater than any of the several years preceding the pandemic losses, when year-to-year changes in average scores were generally flat, or in some cases, declining. Students and schools still have a way to go to catch up, but we have good reason to think that progress will continue,” Truitt said. “As more early-grades teachers adopt literacy instruction grounded in the science of reading, students will be stronger readers as they progress through elementary school and into middle school. We’re going to see continued improvement in those test scores and others.”
Thompson and other district administrators joined school administrators and board members, Vice Chair Valencia Davis, Tammy Colston, and Carol Dean at all of the district schools today to deliver the positive news. Staff were excited to learn of this news and are enthusiastic about continuing the work they've already begun in the 2023-2024 school year.