Kent School District hosts the highest achieving schools in the state at 9 a.m. Tuesday 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.”
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.”
Elsewhere
Three local high school students – Kent-Meridian’s James Dugan and Jonathan Hanson and Kentlake’s Michael Raybuck – were among the first group of winners in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 1,000 distinguished high school seniors have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations. The three Kent students won scholarships through The Boeing Co., which supports Merit Scholarship awards given annually for children of employees. The Merit Scholarship awards are a part of Boeing’s comprehensive aid to education program. …
Six Kent School District teachers recently were recognized for passing the ProTeach Portfolio by the state Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) and earning their professional teaching certificates. Teachers receive an initial certificate to teach in public schools when they start working in the State, but are required to earn the professional teaching certificate within a certain timeframe to continue teaching. The six KSD teachers are: Carissa Campbell (Scenic Hill Elementary); Noemie Hamon (Kentridge High School); Nikolas Kosty (Meridian Elementary); Bradley Pizzalato (Meeker Middle School); Teresa Wocken-Linders (Panther Lake Elementary) and John Wu (Kent Phoenix Academy). …
Logan Sychtysz, son of Honey and Chad Sychtysz, of Kent, will attend Rocky Mountain College this fall. Logan plans to major in history and education. He graduated from Kentwood High School. …
The following students from Kent made the made the winter term honor roll at Oregon State University: straight-A average: Lara A. Martin, post baccalaureate, computer science; 3.5 GPA or better: Amanda N. Jamiel, sophomore, biochemistry and biophysics.
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