County schools earn state awards

The Washington State Board of Education honored several Whitman County schools for the 2017-2018 school year.

In the first phase of the school recognition system, 216 schools across Washington were recognized for three different categories: closing gaps, growth and achievement.

“This is a new recognition program,” Jake Dingman, Oakesdale superintendent and principal, said. “They haven’t done this before.”

Dingman said Oakesdale was recognized because the large amount of ninth graders on track to graduate, high attendance records and the school’s dual credit program.

Colton School was awarded for their high achievement in graduation rate and Quality and Student Success measures, Colton Superintendent Paul Clark wrote in an email.

Tekoa High School, Garfield Middle School and Lincoln Middle School at Pullman were recognized for the closing gaps category. The board defines this category as schools, “with low performing student groups that showed substantial improvement.”

“We are glad we met our baselines,” Tekoa Superintendent Mark Heid said. “We will continue to get better.”

Rosalia School, Franklin Elementary in Pullman and Palouse High School were recognized for the achievement category “the highest achieving schools on ELA and math proficiency, graduation rate and meeting SQSS.”

St. John/Endicott Elementary and Middle School was awarded in the growth category. This category is awarded to schools who make the largest improvement on the framework each Washington school must meet per year.

The state board decided to suspend school recognition last year, so they could redesign the award.

The schools will be recognized during an awards ceremony June 6 in Spokane.

“We’re excited that we’re kind of peeling back the layers off the specifics,” St. John/Endicott Supertindent Suzanne Schmick said. “We’re all kind of learning what it is about.”