SALISBURY — ApSeed, a nonprofit geared toward pre-k education is championing, what they described as, vast improvements in kindergarten readiness.
Based in Rowan County, ApSeed uses technology to work with with pre-k students. The organization provides parents with tablets outfitted with applications designed to help students a number of ways.
“The touchpads are purpose-built for preschoolers — no Wi-Fi, camera or internet access — so children learn foundational skills without distractions,” reads information provided by the organization.
ApSeed credits its program as a major reason why Rowan County is experiencing improved outcomes in its Dial-4 readiness screener.
“Rowan County’s school district has been doing the Dial-4 screener to determine the readiness of children,” said ApSeed Executive Director Dr. Julie Morrow. “We’ve been monitoring that.”
Dial-4 is a global test that gauges participating students’ readiness for kindergarten. The test grades students on a myriad of topics including letters, shapes, colors and other topics.
“The Dial-4 test all of that and then some,” Morrow said, later adding that children ages 4-5 typically take the test.
Rowan County is not the only one that takes the test. On their website, Dial-4 describes itself as a globally-recognized aptitude test.
Rowan County has been a participant in the Dial-4 screener for a number of years. According to ApSeed, the 2025 school year was a banner one for the county, with a pass rate of 73 percent.
“Local nonprofit ApSeed is a major force behind skyrocketing kindergarten readiness scores in Rowan-Salisbury Schools. Data shows results have soared from 17 percent to 73 percent in recent years, according to district data from the Dial-4 readiness screener.”
The 73-percent pass rate represents a five year improvement trend, according to ApSeed. In 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, that figure was a respective 17 percent, 39 percent, 52 percent and 69 percent.
ApSeed officials said their program, which has distributed 8,000 touchpad kits, was geared toward helping kids pass that test.
“The touch pad supports learning those letters, numbers, shapes and colors,” Morrow said.
ApSeed officials aren’t alone in their belief that nonprofit played a key part in improving test scores.
“ApSeed is a game changer for preschoolers,” said Dr. Kelly Withers, superintendent of Rowan-Salisbury Schools. “We see a dramatic improvement when our students have been using ApSeed at home.”
ApSeed President Greg Alcorn said that the yearly improvements coincides with ApSeed’s efforts within the Rowan County.
“That’s what we’ve invested in, in Rowan County, for the past 10 years but very aggressively in the last five years,” Alcorn said. “That correlates…with the last five year of the Dial-4 scores going up from a 17-percent pass rate to a 70-percent pass rate. That’s what we’re celebrating.”