Orcas School Students Again Win Achievement Award

— from the Orcas Island School District Administration —

We would like to congratulate the students, staff, parents and community of Orcas Island High School for once again being recognized by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Board of Education with the Washington Achievement Award for Overall Excellence. This award is chosen using the State Board of Education Revised Achievement Index and is based on statewide assessment data for the past three school years.

Schools qualify for the Overall Excellence award if they are among the top 5% of schools, based on the Composite Achievement Index rating. The rating is based on proficiency and growth for schools.

This year students at Orcas Island High School, Middle School and Elementary School will be taking the new Smarter Balanced Assessment. This new assessment has been designed to test college and career readiness and is aligned with the Common Core Standards. It is also considered more rigorous; nevertheless, we expect that our students will continue to perform at a level that places their achievement among the highest in the state of Washington.

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN OLYMPIA

A total of 401 schools earned Washington Achievement Awards for 2014. Award-winning schools were notified last week via email by State Superintendent Randy Dorn and State Board of Education Chair Isabel Muñoz-Colón.

The Washington Achievement Award recipients are the highest performing schools in the state based on three years of academic information as reported in the Washington Achievement Index. The Index was approved for use in 2014 by the State Board of Education.

“Honoring successful schools is one of the most important things we do,” Dorn said. “We know schools are doing great work and are getting better at serving all students every day. We may not be where we want to be, but we are making progress. These awards celebrate both achievement and growth.”

Schools are being recognized for being top performers in six categories:

1. Overall Excellence
2. High Progress
3. Reading Growth
4. Math Growth
5. Extended Graduation Rate (only awarded to high and comprehensive schools)
6. English Language Acquisition

“The Achievement Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge the school communities who have made the greatest difference in the lives of Washington students,” Muñoz-Colón said. “The State Board hopes to use this opportunity to share schools’ results and their stories so that we can replicate their great work in other areas of the state.”

The award-winning schools will be honored during an award ceremony on April 28 at Spanaway Lake High School in Bethel School District, itself an award winner for “High Progress.”

This is the sixth year of the Washington Achievement Awards.