Mount Rainier High School has been named one of 86 "Schools of Distinction" by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for dramatic improvements in student reading and mathematics over the past several years.
Highline Superintendent John Welch and Mount Rainier High School Principal Toni Pace recently joined Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Terry Bergeson to accept the award at a news conference at the school.
OSPI's Schools of Distinction represent the state's top 5 percent of elementary, middle and high schools whose students have shown outstanding growth in both reading and mathematics skills during a six-year period.
This year's winners included 51 elementary schools, 20 middle schools and 15 high schools - out of nearly 2,500 schools in the state.
"There is no one magic wand, or cookie cutter approach that led to our success," said Pace.
"First and foremost, it's great teaching by exceptionally well-trained, dedicated, and highly motivated teachers. It is the teachers who are doing the heavy lifting."
To be considered for the award, each school had to meet the current year's state learning targets on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning for students in both reading and mathematics.
Schools that met the reading and mathematics targets were then evaluated for six-year gains on the state's "Learning Improvement Index."
Because the award is based on improvement across a six-year period, only results from grades four, seven and 10 were used, as those are the only grade levels with six years of trend data.
Greg Lobdell of the Center conducted independent research and analysis to establish criteria for the awards and to identify the schools with the greatest improvement for Educational Effectiveness in Redmond.
School leaders from each of the winning schools were presented with awards and a large banner reading "School of Distinction - 2007 State Superintendent's Learning Improvement Award."
Additional information on the award program, and a list of all Schools of Distinction, can be found on the OSPI Web site at www.k12.wa.us. To learn more about Mount Rainier High School visit www.hsd401.org.
