Message from Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody
FINDING OUR WAY BACK TO THE MIDDLE
Dr. Lynn Moody,
Superintendent for Rowan-
Salisbury Schools
Seems everyone is seeking a
more reasonable balance to
life. As the pendulum swings
in our education world, we
have gone from teacher created expectations to high stakes testing.
We seem to have a hard time finding the middle, something more
reasonable, something more balanced.
CHECKING FOR MASTERY is important. But, giving students
lots of high-stake standardizing tests is not the only way to check
for mastery. Student exhibition of their work or product should be
valued at the same or higher level. And, students should have lots of
opportunity for feedback on their work without fear of failure.
TECHNOLOGY DEVICES, SOFTWARE, AND THE INTERNET can
provide information, clarity, and help us personalize education. But,
students also need hands-on, direct instruction, and opportunities
to work collaboratively to solve problems and produce authentic
products. We need to be sure we provide a variety of ways to learn
new material.
CHOICE in how a student presents their learning is motivational. But,
clear direction and a focus on the standard helps students organize
their thoughts. When we give students more choices about the ways
E3 INSPIRATION AWARDS
Rowan-Salisbury employees are nominated to receive an “E3
Inspiration” award for demonstrating and inspiring the extraordinary
for student success. Staff being recognized are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Chandra Walker
Mike Dry
Joe Harris
Barbara Ward
Jodie Lohmeyer
Custodian at Corriher-Lipe Middle
Maintenance for RSS Operations
Cafeteria Manager at N. Rowan Middle
Guidance Counselor at Landis Elementary
Teacher at East Rowan High
2 • May/June 2018• Parent Teacher Magazine
in which they can demonstrate mastery, we make opportunities to
demonstrate unlimited learning.
COMMON CORE STANDARDS provide us with learning goals that
students need at each grade level. But, the number of standards
in each subject is too many. We need to prioritize the essential
standards that will bring the most value and spend more time on
fewer standards. Focusing on the essential standards allows us to
concentrate on timeless learning elements.
GRADES can help a student and their parents understand where the
student ranks. But, students need to have their work critiqued from
more than just their teacher. Peer critique is much more realistic
to