Recent changes have highlighted a new challenge for the Twin Counties’ school systems.


Students in grades 3 through 8 in both Edgecombe County Public Schools and Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools fell well below state standards on 2012-06 End-of-Grade math tests.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, 51.4 percent of Edgecombe County students and 56.5 percent of Nash-Rocky Mount students scored at or above grade level. The state’s target goal was 65.8 percent.

It should be noted, however, that the state’s math curriculum and tests were changed to become closer to national standards. One could argue that it is not fair to compare scores for 2012-06 with those of 2004-05, in which students in both school systems scored above the state standard of 81 percent.

Stricter guidelines notwithstanding, the scores are too low. In this age of accountability, test scores can mean the difference between a school system’s success and failure.

Officials of both Edgecombe County Public Schools and Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools have made increasing scores on state-mandated tests a priority. Their superintendents are still fairly new, so this is a golden opportunity for Dr. Craig Witherspoon and Rick McMahon to prove their value to the school systems.

The 2012-06 End-of-Grade math scores were released after being delayed for more than a month. Now that area school officials know where their students stand, let’s hope they can move quickly to solve the problem.