A new list of top-performing, most-improved Title I schools in the state has been released by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) .

Bethel’s Evergreen and Roy Elementaries and  Franklin Pierce’s James  Sales Elementary made the list as Reward Schools. They received the designation for demonstrating high-progress. That means they were in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in Reading and Math, combined, over a three-year period. Only 69 schools in the state were named Reward Schools this year. 

School classification is a required part of the state’s flexibility waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The Post extends its appreciation to all of the staff, parents, students, and community members who have supported these schools to help with their success. Congratulations!

From the OSPI’s website:

As a part of Washington’s Elementary and Secondary Act waiver granted by the Department of Education, State Superintendent Randy Dorn has designated  the top-performing and most improving Title I schools as “Reward Schools.”

Reward Schools are classified either as “highest performing” or “high-progress”:

A highest-performing Reward School is a Title I school that has met Adequate Yearly Progress in both Reading and Math for its “all students” group and all subgroups for three years.

A high-progress Reward School is a Title I school that scored in the top 10 percent of Title I schools in Reading and Math (combined) on state assessments for its “all students” group. This designation acknowledges a school’s performance and improvement in Reading and Math during a three-year period.  If the school is a high school, it also must be among the Title I schools with the most progress in increasing graduation rates. Schools designated as Reward Schools cannot have significant achievement/opportunity gaps among subgroups.