Local schools recognized as top performers
Officials at Idaho's State Department of Education rate five local elementary schools and three high schools as best in the state
Three local high schools and five local elementary schools were recently listed among 44 top-performing schools in Idaho, according to a release from the State Department of Education.
The SDE, which released the list earlier this month, stated top-performing schools must have placed in the 90th percentile or above in at least one of the categories used to determine whether schools require state assistance.
The SDE also identified 29 of the lowest performing schools in Idaho, though the closest of those lies miles to the north in the Plummer-Worley School District.
In the Moscow School District, Lena Whitmore Elementary, A.B. McDonald Elementary and Moscow Charter School all earned a spot on the SDE's list of top-performing schools, but only Lena Whitmore was in the 90th percentile in multiple categories.
According to the data, Lena Whitmore placed in the 95th percentile in the academic achievement category for math and language arts and in the 97th percentile for academic growth in math.
A.B. McDonald also secured a spot on the list for academic achievement in math and the Moscow Charter School received high marks for academic growth in language arts.
"When you look at our achievement data and you look at the state average and where Moscow is - on average, we're significantly above the state average," MSD Curriculum Director Carrie Brooks said.
Brooks said much of the reason Moscow Schools do so well is because of a shift from a traditional education system to a "mastery-based" system, which proponents describe as less focused on grades and academic standards and more focused on student learning.
She said the entire district has recently been accredited under this new system, and the intense accreditation process caused the district to identify and shore up areas of improvement.
Nearby Troy Elementary and Palouse Prairie Charter schools also found a spot on the list of top-performers, each placing well above the 90th percentile in three categories.
Palouse Prairie ranked in the 90th percentile for academic achievement in language arts, in the 95th percentile for academic achievement in math, and in the 97th percentile for academic growth in math.
Troy Elementary ranked in the 99th percentile for academic growth in math, and in the 97th percentile for academic growth in language arts, and in the 99th percentile for academic achievement in math.
Kendrick High School was listed as a top-performer for its 100 percent graduation rate last year and Troy Junior-Senior High School was also listed for scoring in the 95th percentile in academic achievement for both math and language arts.
Genesee School earned top marks in both of the categories as well and also received recognition for its efforts to encourage career and college readiness in its students.
"Honestly, what I attribute it to is the size of our district," Genesee Superintendent Wendy Moore, said. "Being a smaller size district, my teachers really know the students well, so they can really personalize and differentiate instruction as needed for kids."
While schools identified as top-performers do not receive any additional funds, the SDE hopes these lists will help educators in the state communicate with each other to identify and spread best practices.
Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.
