Area schools receive Four Stars

By DANIELLE RUSH
Tribune staff writer

February 15, 2008 11:08 pm

— Six Kokomo-area schools have received the highest distinction given to schools by the Indiana Department of Education.
Eastern Elementary, Eastern Jr. and Sr. High School, Northwestern Elementary School, Northwestern High School, Kokomo-Center’s Sycamore Elementary and Oak Hill’s Swayzee Elementary were among the 177 schools statewide that received the Four Star award for the 2006-07 school year.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said the award is based on student achievement on the ISTEP+ test and overall attendance rates.
All of the local schools honored for the 2006-07 school year were also honored for the previous school year, except for Northwestern High School, which is receiving the award for the first time in 13 years, according to Principal Tim Edsell.
“That’s just an awesome testament to the hard work we’re doing here,” he said.
Edsell said the school has missed the award in the past because of attendance, so there has been increased focus on students being at school, and being at school on time.
“There’s such a strong correlation between a great education and a good attendance rate,” he said.
Northwestern Elementary Principal Ron Owings said this is the fourth or fifth year his school has received the award, but it is never taken for granted.
He said in the past, when the school would earn Four Star status from time to time, attendance was the issue.
“The reason our attendance rate is what it is, my staff and I believe if we make this place an encouraging place to come to every day, attendance will take care of itself. We have fun here, and it’s a positive place. We think that boosts attendance.”
Eastern High School Principal Lisa Smith said she heard the news Friday and “we’re just so excited.”
She said excellence is expected in the Eastern Howard School Corp.
“It reflects on our community and our students and our staff members. It reflects very favorably on all of us. In our minds, it’s something we want to accomplish. We have an expectation of excellence at our school. Everything we do revolves around what’s best for our school, what’s best for our students.”
Kokomo-Center Superintendent Thomas Little Jr. said he’s proud of the teachers and of the leadership shown by Sycamore Principal Charley Hinkle “who work so hard in meeting the needs of children in that building.”
“It’s a total commitment by that staff to focusing on the basic skills of reading, math and language arts.”
He said the school provides after-school programs for children and also has Indiana University Kokomo students on site to provide individualized instruction.
A total of 1,811 Indiana public schools were eligible for the Four Star School Award. To earn the distinction, a school must be accredited by the Indiana State Board of Education, meet Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by The No Child Left Behind Act of 2000 and perform in the top 25 percent of all the schools in the state in each of the following four areas: student attendance rates, mathematics proficiency scores, English/language arts proficiency scores, and the percent of students passing both English/language arts and mathematics.