Release Date:
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Over the past year, the State Board of Education (SBE), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) worked together to revise the Washington State school recognition system to more equitably recognize schools.
This spring, in the first phase of the new state school recognition system, 216 schools are being recognized which have demonstrated exemplary performance or who have made significant progress closing opportunity and achievement gaps in the Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF) measures.
“We are excited about this new approach to school recognition, which is designed to identify schools throughout the continuum of support,” said Kevin Laverty, Chair of the State Board of Education. “Recognized schools are in the top 20% on multiple measures and are closing achievement gaps or have all student groups achieving at a high level. Every school which earned a State Recognized School distinction this year should be very proud of their students and their staff.”
SBE, EOGOAC, and OSPI are phasing in the revisions to the recognition system over the course of three years. We will continue to develop the system framework to bring in more local feedback into the process. Additionally, over the three-year development period, we will incorporate both state-level data and local information to recognize schools.
Our first recognition event under the new system will be on June 6. This event will take place concurrently in both Olympia and Spokane.
Recognition Criteria
Measures for the first year include both growth and achievement on academic indicators (proficiency, growth, graduation rate, English language progress) as well as school quality and student success measures (dual credit participation, regular attendance, and ninth grade on track rates).
Review the list of schools or to learn more about the new school recognition system.
About the State Board of Education: The State Board of Education provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education. The Board comprises 16 members: five are elected by school board directors, seven are appointed by the Governor, two serve as student representatives, and one serves as a private school representative. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is also a member. For more information on the State Board of Education: www.sbe.wa.gov