Kent School District hosts the highest achieving schools in the state at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 30 at Kentwood High School, 25800 164th Ave. SE, Covington.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn and State Board of Education Chair Jeff Vincent will recognize 381 schools receiving Washington Achievement Awards for 2012 during a special award ceremony.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education sponsor the awards program, now in its fourth year. Award winners are selected using the state’s Achievement Index and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility waiver.
Schools at the ceremony are being recognized for performance in seven categories: overall excellence; language arts; math; science; extended graduation rate (only awarded to high and comprehensive schools); closing achievement gaps; and high progress (Title I eligible or participating schools only).
The program has been combined with the awards and accountability criteria in the ESEA flexibility waiver. The “high progress” category replaces the “improvement” category from previous years.
“Kent School District and Kentwood High School are honored to both host this outstanding celebration and participate with other schools and school districts being recognized by Washington State for exceptional student achievement,” said Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas.
Kentwood High and eight other KSD schools will be recognized at the celebration.
The KSD schools being acknowledged are:
• Carriage Crest Elementary – closing achievement gaps
• Cedar Heights Middle School – closing achievement gaps
• Covington Elementary – science
• Glenridge Elementary – high progress
• Jenkins Creek Elementary – high progress
• Kent Elementary – overall excellence
• Kent Mountain View Academy – extended graduation rate
• Kentwood High School – closing achievement gaps and math
• Martin Sortun Elementary – math and high progress
“We’re thrilled that the Achievement Awards have come to mean so much to schools and districts across the state,” Vincent said. “It’s important to us at the state level to ensure that our work benefits everyone, and the award and index do exactly that.”
State Superintendent Dorn praised this new collaboration.
“Schools and communities expect state and federal governments to work together on accountability,” he said. “We’re grateful that the flexibility waiver has given us a chance to align our accountability efforts with the federal government’s expectations. This will streamline both systems over time and provide a better picture of how our schools are doing.”
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