Colfax High, Jennings earn Schools of Distinction honor

Jennings Elementary last week received a Washington State School of Distinction award for the third time, while Colfax High School was named to the list for the second time.

A total of seven schools in Eastern Washington’s Educational Service District 101 received the award this year; including schools in Wilbur, Spokane, Reardan-Ewall and Northport.

Outstanding improvement in reading and math sustained over a five-year period was the criteria for 101 Washington schools receiving the 2014 School of Distinction award. The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) in partnership with the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) and Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (WSASCD) have recognized schools in their top five percent of improvement for their levels.

The 2014 School of Distinction award winners include 54 elementary schools, 22 middle/junior high schools, 17 high schools and eight alternative schools. This is the eighth year of the School of Distinction Award in Washington state.

Describing schools that receive the award, Greg Lobdell, President of CEE noted, “These schools are from all regions of the state, all sizes of towns, with a range from 2.7 percent to 100 percent poverty and enrollment of English Language Learners as high as 40 percent. These schools demonstrate that significant improvement is occurring all across our diverse public schools.”