Camas, Washougal schools feted for progress

Twenty-one Clark County schools have been honored by the Washington School Recognition Program for their work in closing opportunity gaps and supporting students’ growth and academic achievement during the 2023-24 school year. The program, jointly operated by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Washington State Board of Education, and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, highlights schools that demonstrate exceptional progress in key areas of student success, according to a news release. “Achieving this honor is no small feat,” Bill Kallappa, chair of the State Board of Education, said in the news release. “It takes a team of dedicated educators and administrators working together to ensure that their students have the knowledge they need to be successful. And it takes great students coming to school every day ready to learn.” Schools are honored in one or more of three categories: closing gaps (significant progress in areas needing improvement, such as assessment scores, English learner progress, dual credit completion, or graduation rates); growth (schools with at least one student group making some of the state’s largest annual gains in performance measures like attendance, assessments, dual credit completion or graduation rates); and achievement (schools that have some of the state’s highest performance in at least two key areas, including attendance, dual credit completion, assessment scores in English language arts or math, graduation rates, or ninth-grade credit attainment, and are above average across all reportable student groups on the 2024 Washington School Improvement Framework). The program honored 406 schools, including: CAM Academy (Battle Ground Public Schools): Achievement in English language arts, math, graduation and attendance, and ninth-graders on track and dual credit. Chief Umtuch Middle School (Battle Ground Public Schools): Growth for English learner students. Daybreak Middle School (Battle Ground Public Schools): Closing gaps, English learner progress. Tukes Valley Primary School (Battle Ground Public Schools): Closing targeted gaps. Yacolt Primary School (Battle Ground Public Schools): Growth for students in special education. Discovery High School (Camas School District): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Grass Valley Elementary (Camas School District): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups, growth for English learner students, achievement in ELA and math and attendance. Liberty Middle School (Camas School District): Growth for English learner students. Odyssey Middle School (Camas School District): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Columbia Valley Elementary (Evergreen Public Schools): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Emerald Elementary School (Evergreen Public Schools): Closing targeted gaps, growth for English learner students, growth for low-income students. Frontier Middle School (Evergreen Public Schools): Closing targeted gaps. Harmony Elementary School (Evergreen Public Schools): Growth for English learner students. Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School (Evergreen Public Schools): Achievement in English language arts, graduation, and ninth-graders on track and dual credit. Marrion Elementary School (Evergreen Public Schools): Closing gaps. Sunset Elementary School (Evergreen Public Schools): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Union Ridge Elementary (Ridgefield School District): Growth for English learner students. Harry S. Truman Elementary School (Vancouver Public Schools): Growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups. Columbia River Gorge Elementary School (Washougal School District): Closing targeted gaps. Gause Elementary School (Washougal School District): Closing targeted gaps, growth for students in one or more racial or ethnic groups, growth for students in special education. Hathaway Elementary School (Washougal School District): Growth for students in special education. “I was excited and proud of the Hathaway community to be recognized as a Washington State School for Growth, particularly for the progress of our students receiving special services,” said Hathaway principal Wendy Morrill. “This achievement reflects our intentional focus on strengthening tier one core classroom instruction for all students and the dedicated work of our professional learning communities in identifying student needs and developing targeted supports to help every learner succeed.” Teachers at the Washougal schools have professional learning community time every Wednesday, when they use student data to make adjustments to teaching activities to best serve students. They also meet weekly to identify essential standards, plan lessons, and provide interventions that help students meet grade level standards. “This recognition is a direct reflection of the care, commitment, and collaboration of our educators and support staff,” superintendent Aaron Hansen said. “ I am especially proud of the notable progress made by three of our schools, whose focused efforts have led to this well-earned honor. These recognitions highlight how intentional focus and teamwork can truly elevate outcomes for our students. I am grateful for the dedication of our building teams in supporting every learner.” Columbia River Gorge Elementary principal Hannah Hartman said that she “was so happy” to learn about her school’s recognition and “proud of our community for all their effort and hard work to support the needs of all students.” “This year, we have focused on our school improvement planning framework and setting a foundation that can help all students and teachers to thrive,” she said. Every honored school will receive a banner to display in their buildings.

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