(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska – Of 507 public schools in Alaska, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development has recognized 49 public schools as 2013 Reward Schools to honor their student achievement from the 2012-2013 school year. Several schools in Southeast Alaska made the list; however, there were no schools in Ketchikan recognized as Reward Schools.

The Reward Schools designation is part of Alaska’s new school accountability system, which is in its first year. With a waiver under the No Child Left Behind Act, Alaska replaced the former federal accountability system of Adequate Yearly Progress with a state system that not only identifies schools most in need of support but also recognizes schools that are improving students’ learning.

“It is a pleasure to announce Alaska’s Reward Schools for 2013, an achievement shared by their families and educators,” said Alaska Education Commissioner Mike Hanley. “Reward Schools strive to meet the academic needs of all students, however large or small the school is. They support students’ progress toward the goals of proficiency and graduation. We congratulate them.”

Reward Schools are recognized in two categories: highest performing and high progress. This year, 31 schools are highest-performing and 37 schools are high progress. Nineteen schools are being recognized in both categories, making a total of 49 schools to be named Reward Schools.

Alaska names both categories of Reward Schools in three grade spans: K-8 schools, 9-12 schools, and K-12 schools, which represent the spectrum of rural and urban schools. (Elementary schools and middle schools are included in the K-8 grade span.)

To qualify for Reward status as a highest-performing school:

• the school must be in the top 10 percent of schools in its grade span (K-8, 9-12, or K-12) based on its score under the Alaska School Performance Index (explained below);
• over the two most recent years, the school must have a graduation rate that averaged at least 85 percent, if it has 12th-graders; and
• over the two most recent years, the school must have met its goal for increasing the percentage of students who are proficient in reading, writing, and math, for the student body as a whole and all subgroups of students.
To qualify for Reward status as a high-progress school:
• the school must be in the highest 10 percent of all schools in the Growth and Proficiency Index (explained below);
• have an average score of at least 95 in the Growth and Proficiency Index over the past three years for all students;
• have an average Growth and Proficiency Index score of at least 90 in the most recent year for the subgroups Alaska Native/American Indian students, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and English language learners (if there are at least five students in a subgroup);
• the graduation rate must average at least 85 percent over the two most recent years, if the school has 12th-graders.

The Alaska School Performance Index measures schools by a combination of data: student achievement on the state’s reading, writing and math assessments; growth in the school’s student body in those assessments from the prior year; and attendance. Schools with high school students also are measured by graduation rates; student performance on college-ready and career-ready assessments such as the SAT, ACT, and WorkKeys; and students’ participation rate in the WorkKeys assessment.

The Growth and Proficiency Index, briefly stated, measures whether a student population in a school is increasing, remaining stable, or declining in achievement in reading, writing, and math from one year to the next. A school receives an index score for its student body as a whole, and scores for each of the four subgroups mentioned above. The index looks at each student’s performance over those two years and creates a combined picture of a school’s performance.

The 2013 Alaska Rewards Schools are as follows. Note the two categories of award.

Highest Performing:

Anchorage

Bear Valley Elementary K-8
Chugach Optional Elementary K-8
Eagle Academy Charter School K-8
Girdwood School K-8
Northern Lights ABC K-8 School K-8
Aleutians East
Polaris School K-12

Fairbanks

Anderson Elementary K-8
Crawford Elementary K-8

Galena

Sidney C. Huntington Elementary K-8

Kenai Peninsula

Aurora Borealis Charter School K-8
Kaleidoscope School of Arts & Sciences K-8
Paul Banks Elementary K-8
West Homer Elementary K-8

Kodiak Island

Peterson Elementary K-8

Mat-Su

Academy Charter School K-8
Alaska Middle College School 9-12
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School 9-12

Nome

Anvil City Science Academy K-8
Extensions Correspondence K-12

Wrangell

Stikine Middle School K-8

Aleutians East

Cold Bay School K-12

Denali

Cantwell School* K-12

Dillingham

Dillingham Correspondence School* K-12

Haines

Haines Home School K-12

Kodiak Island

Chiniak School K-12

Lake and Peninsula

Chignik Lagoon School* K-12
Igiugig School K-12

Skagway

Skagway School K-12

Southeast Island

Edna Bay School K-12
Port Alexander School K-12

Yakutat

Yakutat Home School K-12

High Progress:

Anchorage

Bear Valley Elementary K-8
Chugach Optional Elementary K-8
Chugiak Elementary K-8
Girdwood School K-8
Ravenwood Elementary K-8
South Anchorage High School 9-12

Fairbanks

Chinook Montessori Charter School K-8
Crawford Elementary K-8
Hutchison High School 9-12

Juneau

Juneau Community Charter School K-8

Kenai Peninsula

Aurora Borealis Charter School K-8
Kaleidoscope School of Arts & Sciences K-8
McNeil Canyon Elementary K-8
Moose Pass School K-8
West Homer Elementary K-8

Mat-Su

Academy Charter School K-8
John Shaw Elementary K-8
Talkeetna Elementary K-8

Nome

Anvil City Science Academy K-8
Extensions Correspondence K-12

Wrangell

Stikine Middle School K-8

Alaska Gateway

Mentasta Lake Katie John School* K-12

Aleutians East

Aleutians Correspondence Education School K-12

Copper River

Kenny Lake School K-12

Denali

Cantwell School* K-12

Haines

Haines Home School K-12

Kenai Peninsula

Cooper Landing School K-12

Kodiak Island

Chiniak School K-12

Lake and Peninsula

Chignik Bay School* K-12
Chignik Lagoon School* K-12

Pelican

Pelican School K-12

Sitka

Sitka Correspondence* K-12

Skagway

Skagway School K-12

Southeast Island

Edna Bay School K-12
Port Alexander School K-12
Port Protection School* K-12

Yakutat

Yakutat Home School K-12

Schools designated with an asterisk (*) are Reward Schools pending State Board of Education & Early Development approval of proposed regulations regarding the calculation of graduation rates for small schools.

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Education
education.alaska.gov

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