Eudora students earn 18 Standards of Excellence
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008
Eudora Schools students and teachers are celebrating 18 Standards of Excellence awarded by the Kansas State Department of Education, including eight building-level awards. Every school and the overall district also achieved AYP – adequate yearly progress – on the Kansas assessments, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Standard of Excellence is awarded to schools where a larger percentage of the students score in higher performance categories and fewer score in the lower tiers. Eudora schools received the award for math in the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth grades; for reading in the third, fifth, seventh and eighth grades; and for history/government in eighth grade.
Building-level Standards of Excellence were awarded in reading and math at Eudora High School; in reading, math and science at Eudora Middle School; and in reading, math and science at Eudora West Elementary.
“This is very exciting news,” said Marla Johnson, interim director of curriculum and instruction. “These scores are the result of work done by our teachers at every level and in every building. It shows that our teachers are doing all they can to help our students be successful in school, and it shows that we have kids of all kinds, from all different backgrounds, doing exceptionally well in our district.”
This is not the first time the Eudora School District has been recognized by the state department for excellent achievement. Last year the district achieved 10 Standards of Excellence, including four building-level awards. Additional categories and higher standards are added each year, adding an increasing challenge for districts to find excellence, Johnson said.
This year included additional tests in social studies and science. While these two areas did not receive Standards of Excellence this year, they posted remarkable scores that indicate more than 90 percent of students taking either test met or exceeded the state standard.
“The scores in all subject areas were tremendous,” Johnson said. “Standards of Excellence are a great goal to have because they show that all students are moving up in achievement. But Standard of Excellence or not, we are seeing overwhelming evidence that our programs are working – as our teachers work to write the curriculum, align it with state standards, collaborate with their colleagues and prepare their students, our students are succeeding.”
State assessments are not used in kindergarten, first or second grade. As a result, Nottingham Elementary (K-2) does not report data. Instead, the state measures the school's AYP based on the performance of third graders at West Elementary.
|
Attendance center |
Subject area |
State AYP requirement |
Scores |
|
Eudora West Elementary (3-5)* *these scores also apply to Nottingham Elementary |
Reading Math Science |
75.6% 73.4% 71.0% |
87.5% 91.1% 96.8% |
|
Eudora Middle School (6-8)
|
Reading Math Science History/government |
75.6% 73.4% 71.0% 70.0% |
87.3% 84.5% 96.6% 90.6% |
|
Eudora High School (9-12)
|
Reading Math Science History/government |
72.0% 64.6% 69.0% 68.0% |
93.2% 92.4% 94.3% 97.8% |
On the district level, 88.3 percent of students met or exceeded the standard in math, and 88.1 percent met or exceeded the standard in reading – increases in both categories, as compared to last year’s results. Schools across the nation are expected to hit 100 percent in both areas by 2014.
