Stafford and Stanley elementary schools won the 2010 School of Distinction award for outstanding improvement in student achievement in reading and math over a five-year period. They join just 92 other state schools on the awards list. The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) and Phi Delta Kappa-Washington State Chapter sponsored the fourth annual School of Distinction award recognition in Washington state.
“We are thrilled! This is a very special community. Our staff, parents and students have all made a commitment to achieving high standards,” said Stafford Elementary School Principal Cynthia Evans. “The district has supported our initiatives in the arts and in focusing on specific learning targets. Our families are supportive. Our students come early and stay late. I am so proud of everyone’s positive attitudes and hard work.”
“It is an honor to be chosen for the Washington School of Distinction Award, said Cindy Tone Johnson, principal of Stanley Elementary School. “I have always known that Stanley is a school of distinction, and this award has proven that my staff, my students and our families are well deserving of this acknowledgement. At Stanley, we believe that every child, given outstanding teachers, supportive families and a community that cares, will continue to be successful not only in school but also with lifelong endeavors.”
Sue Mills, CEE’s executive director, and Diana Gilsinger, Phi Delta Kappa-WA’s president, announced the highest improving schools Oct. 22. For 2010, the School of Distinction award winners include 52 elementary schools, 22 middle/junior high schools and 20 high schools. Of these, 37 are repeat winners, and 12 are three-time winners, including 2010. Six regional award ceremonies will be scheduled in late November or early December.
Stafford and Stanley Elementaries appeared on the list for the first time.
“Educators in these schools are creating systems of support for outstanding, sustained improvement in reading and math student performance,” Mills said. “This award celebrates the multi-year improvement in both reading and math not recognized in the federal No Child Left Behind law or in the year-to-year calculation of “Adequate Yearly Progress,” said Mills.
Candidate schools for this award must be performing at least at the state average performance level in fourth, seventh and 10th grade reading and math assessments, as measured on the Spring 2010 Measures of Student Progress (fourth and seventh grade) and High School Proficiency Exam (10th grade).
Schools meeting this requirement were then evaluated on combined reading and math improvement over 2005 to 2010 state assessments. The top 5 percent of the elementary schools, middle/junior high schools and high schools are recognized with this award and designated as a School of Distinction.
For more information, contact Sue Mills, co-founder and executive director, Center for Educational Effectiveness, at 425-283-0384.