Washington’s Highest Improving Schools Honored

School of Distinction Awards announced for 2011

Award for 5-year Improvement in Reading and Math

Redmond – October 17, 2011 – Outstanding improvement in student achievement led to a special honor for 99 schools today; all received the 2011 School of Distinction Award from The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE), the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Phi Delta Kappa-Washington Chapter (PDK-WA), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Washington State ASCD and Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA). 

The 2011 School of Distinction award winners include 53 elementary schools, 22 middle / junior high schools, 17 high schools and 7 alternative schools.  This represents the 5^th annual School of Distinction award recognition in Washington State.

Each regional Educational Service District throughout the state will be hosting an award ceremony to recognize the School of Distinction award winners within their service regions.  Dr. Michael Dunn of the NorthEast Washington Educational Service District (NEWESD) in Spokane stated, “The success and hard work of these highest improving schools across our state needs to be celebrated and shared in order to support improvement efforts across Washington and make this difference for all students.”

Specifics of the methodology used to determine 2011 winners are summarized in the following bullets: 

·     The 2011 performance, as with the previous five years, is translated into 
    a “Reading/Math Level Index” and must meet the minimum threshold:  at or 
    above the state median for the grade band.
·     Unlike previous years where enough longitudinal data only existed in grades 
    4, 7 and 10, we now have longitudinal data from 2006-2011 in all grades.  
·    Three grade bands are used for calculation: 3, 4, and 5 for elementary schools, 
    6, 7 and 8 for middle or junior high schools and 10 for high schools.  A school must 
    have data in two of three grades to be considered for that band. 
·     The final data point was calculated using the Measures of Student Progress 
    (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade) and High School Proficiency Exam (10th grade) 
    from spring 2011. 
·     Using data from 2006 – 2011, provides six data points that identify five improvement 
    steps.
·     A Reading/Math Level Index is calculated for all grades in band... e.g., a K-8 school 
    would be eligible in both elementary and middle/junior high bands.
·     A school must have data in at least three of six years to be considered, one of which 
    must be 2011. 
·     "Improvement" is defined as the slope of linear trend over the five years.
·     The number of schools comprising 5% is based on the number of schools at each 
    grade band with 2011 data.

Greg Lobdell, Co-founder and President of CEE noted, “even though the diversity and context of the communities served by each of these schools across our state are vastly different, the hard work represented by this award is the same and the students are the real winners”. 

Listed below are the 13 schools in our ESD region who have earned this honor this year:
Central Val ley SD Greenacres Elementary ELEM
Central Val ley SD Ponderosa Elementary ELEM
Chewelah SD Jenkins Middle School MS
Col fax SD Leonard M Jennings Elementary MS
Cusick SD Cus ick Jr Sr High School HS
Davenport SD Davenport Senior High School HS
East Valley SD (SpokanOeti)s Orchards Elementary ELEM
Endicott SD Endicott/St John Elem and Middle MS
Kettle Falls SD Kettle Falls Middle School MS
Mead SD Mead Education Partnership Prog ALT-HS
Odes sa SD Odessa High School HS
Rosalia SD Rosalia Elementary & Secondary ScHhSool
Wilbur SD Wilbur Elementary School ELEM

Media inquiries:  Mr. Steve Witter, Executive Director/Communications and Development – 509-789-3540.