State awards go to area schools

Local schools were among those honored in the 2011 Washington Achievement Awards given by the Washington State Board of Education.

Jennings Elementary of Colfax, Washtucna schools, and Pullman High were named for Overall Excellence.

Garfield/Palouse Middle School at Garfield was named for its science program and Garfield/Palouse High was recognized for extended graduation rate.

The Overall Excellence award goes to schools in the top five percent in Washington, as assessed by the Achievement Index, which was developed three years ago by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The index measures reading, math, science, low income/high income ratio, similar school demographics and improvement from the previous year. A total of 10 cells on the index have to be measured to make a school eligible.

“It gets nuanced,” said Aaron Wyatt, Communications Director for the Washington State Board of Education. “It’s an extra layer that the Achievement Index provides.”

The low-income/high income ratio compares results for students from low and high income areas in a district to determine whether the district is getting a strong response from both groups.

If a school shows an achievement gap between these two student populations it can become ineligible for the General Excellence Award, said Wyatt.

“In a nutshell, if you’re getting the Overall Excellence Award, you’ve had a very good last two years,” said Wyatt.