The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released the annual school performance grades and graduation rates Thursday for the 2016-2017 school year. Roanoke Rapids Graded School District Superintendent Dain Butler said, “the district has consistently maintained academic progress throughout all grade levels with 3 of 4 schools meeting or exceeding growth.”
The district has implemented several initiatives and sources of support Butler and the RRGSD Board of Trustees believe will benefit the district’s academic achievement during the 2017-18 school year even more.
- Consistent implementation of classroom walkthroughs to promote rigorous instruction
- Placement of Instructional Coaches in each school to assist instructional staff with delivering rigorous and engaging learning opportunities for students
- Personalized professional development offered to each school that matches the needs of staff and students.
While Roanoke Rapids High School did not meet the state's growth expectations, it maintained a consistent number of students who graduated from school in four years or less with a graduation rate of 84% last year. North Carolina’s graduation rate is 86.5% a significant improvement since the early 2000’s when the state’s graduation rate was 68.3%.
The General Assembly implemented an A through F letter grade system in 2013 for all of the state’s public and charter schools. Schools are also judged on whether students exceed, meet, or do not meet academic growth expectations during the year. Manning Elementary, Chaloner Middle, and Roanoke Rapids High School all received a letter grade of C. Belmont Elementary was 5 performance points from earning a C grade however the school did meet it's academic growth expectations as required by the state. Manning and Chaloner exceeded growth expectations.