The State Board of Education (SBE), Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) staff collaborate on school recognition as directed in statute. In spring 2018, the three organizations initiated a three-year effort to revamp Washington’s school recognition framework to be more equitable and to better highlight the successes across our K-12 educational system. Under the new methodology, the three groups recognized schools based on results for the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 school years.

After the COVID-related school closures and interruptions to the administration of statewide assessments, the three groups resumed the identification of school for recognition. After extensive deliberation and evaluation, the three groups resumed the school recognition program for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. See the 2024 news release for more information about the program or view recognized schools by year:

2021-22 Recognition Cycle

• 2021-22 Recognition List of Schools (Excel version) (PDF version)
• Description of School Recognition Methodology 2021-22
• Data file for 2021-22 School Recognition

2022-23 School Recognition

• 2022-23 Recognition List of Schools (Excel version) (PDF version)
• Description of School Recognition Methodology 2022-23
• Data file for 2022-23 School Recognition

The SBE, OSPI, and EOGOAC plan to refine the recognition framework over the next year to create an even more equitable recognition system that highlights success across our K-12 system and considers state level accountability data as well as local qualitative and quantitative information. The organizations are following a general work plan in order to complete the Phase II and Phase III revisions by the end of the 2024-25 school year. Central to the proposed or planned recognition framework revisions are the following:

1. To include other measures (including local measures) in the recognition framework,
2. To include measures that are more qualitative in character, and
3. To provide the opportunity for stakeholder input and review.

Work Group Meeting Dates

State Board of Education's Role and Background Information

In May 2018, the SBE, OSPI, and EOGOAC agreed to suspend school recognition for one year in order for a work group to be formed for the purpose of redesigning the school recognition system. The rationale to redesign the system was driven in part by the changes brought about by the shift to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) accountability system and by the desire of the organizations to make the school recognition system more equitable. 

SBE, OSPI, and EOGOAC staff worked closely together in consultation with the recognition work group to design a pilot recognition system as the first phase in the development of a new recognition framework for Washington that incorporates state level and local information to identify schools that are exemplars in terms of growth and achievement. The new approach to recognition is designed to identify schools throughout the continuum of support. Phase I of the revised framework recognized schools that made gains in targeted areas and are on a path toward overall improvements in achievement and growth.  Phase I of the Framework is best described as a single system of recognition that incorporates three routes to recognition, and multiple measures within each route derived from the Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF).

Work Group Leadership

Statutory Charge of the Work Group

RCW 28A.657.110(3) specifies that the SBE, in cooperation with the OSPI, shall annually recognize schools for exemplary performance as measured on the Washington School Improvement Framework. The SBE shall have ongoing collaboration with the EOGOAC regarding the measures used to measure the closing of the achievement gaps and the recognition provided to the school districts for closing the achievement gaps.