Blue Ridge Elementary takes proactive approach to addressing low-achieving school status
Walla Walla Public Schools has been informed by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Blue Ridge Elementary is on its list of low-achieving schools based on federal performance criteria linked to state assessment scores over the past three years.
Schools on the list represent the bottom five percent of the lowest achieving K-12 schools in the state. The list of lowest-achieving schools is connected to the Washington State Board of Education Accountability Framework which is designed to turn around persistently low performing schools.
Schools on the list of low-achieving schools have two options:
Option 1 - In 2010, volunteer to participate in a third-party Academic Performance Review and then have the local school board use the results to develop a Required Action Plan in collaboration with staff and the community to improve achievement.
Option 2 - Take no action in 2010, but be required to in 2011 to go through this process if significant academic improvement is not realized.
"We have already taken steps at Blue Ridge to increase achievement for all students, so we have opted for Option 1 and volunteered for an Academic Performance Review this year," said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Linda Boggs, who oversees the district's Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Department. "As part of this process, we have request ed $379,000 grant to fund the implementation of our action plan. It is our goal to close the achievement gap and ensure all students have opportunities for an excellent education."
Blue Ridge Elementary Principal Kim Doepker says everyone at Blue Ridge is committed to doing whatever they can to help children achieve success.
"We are already implementing initiatives and instructional practices which will be part of the academic review, including aligned curriculum, instructional best practices, focused professional development and high levels of family and community involvement," Doepker said. "By going through this review process, we can further refine our plans and receive additional funding to support the academic progress of our students."
Following the Academic Performance Review, school districts then must develop a Required Action Plan using one of four Race to the Top federal improvement models: Turnaround, Restart, Closure or Transformation. The school has three years to make significant progress based on approved criteria. Federal funds will be provided for plan implementation.
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