CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Sixty-six schools from across West Virginia, including elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and career technical centers and programs, were honored Tuesday for achieving Exemplary Accreditation status. Three other schools also were recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools.

“We have high expectations for all schools in West Virginia and these schools have achieved the state board’s highest level of recognition,” said West Virginia Board of Education President Wade Linger. “This accomplishment speaks highly of the quality of education throughout West Virginia, with schools from every area of our state identified as exemplary.”

Exemplary distinction is the gold standard of educational achievement, said Gus Penix, director of the Office of Education Performance Audits. Schools must meet a set of rigorous standards to achieve such status:

1.    All schools will be ranked by the percent proficient in each subject, including reading/language arts, math, science, social studies as well as the Writing Assessment. Schools earning the top combined ranking will be eligible for the next step of ranking on a student achievement index. All students in each school will be ranked by a student achievement index in each subject on the WESTEST2 and Writing Assessment with progressive weighting for scores at each performance level (.25 for Below Mastery, .5 for Mastery, .75 for Above Mastery, and 1.0 for Distinguished) and aggregated for a total ranking. The top 10 percent weighted ranking for elementary, middle and high schools will be designated as Exemplary if other criteria are met.

2.    The student attendance rate is at or above 94 percent in the most recent year for which data are available.

3.    The percentage of students who successfully complete Advanced Placement, dual credit and honors classes as defined in Policy 2510 is at or above five percent in high schools.

Career technical centers also have strenuous criteria to meet. Such schools must meet a minimum of 95 percent of school performance standards across all concentrations; have a 97 percent job placement or continuing education rate; and a 75 percent in-field job placement and continuing education rate, among other requirements.

The following schools earned 2011-2012 Exemplary Accreditation status:

BRAXTON                                               Davis Elementary School

BROOKE                                                 Franklin Primary School

CABELL                                                   Meadows Elementary School

                                                           Ona Elementary School

GREENBRIER                                         Rupert Elementary School

HAMPSHIRE                                           Springfield-Green Spring Elementary

HARRISON                                              Johnson Elementary School

                                                                 Simpson Elementary School

                                                            Bridgeport Middle School

                                                            Bridgeport High School

JEFFERSON                                            C.W. Shipley Elementary School

                                                            Page Jackson Elementary School

KANAWHA                                               Chamberlain Elementary School

                                                            Cross Lanes Elementary School

                                                            Holz Elementary School

                                                            Kenna Elementary School

                                                            Montrose Elementary School

                                                            Overbrook Elementary School

                                                            Weberwood Elementary School

                                                            Andrew Jackson Middle School

                                                            Horace Mann Middle School

                                                            John Adams Middle School

                                                            South Charleston Middle School

                                                            George Washington High School

                                                            Nitro High School

LOGAN                                                    Justice Elementary School

MARION                                                   East Dale Elementary School

                                                            Fairview Elementary School

                                                            White Hall Elementary School

                                                            Fairview Middle School

                                                            Monongah Middle School

                                                            Fairmont Senior High School

MONONGALIA                                         Cheat Lake Elementary School

                                                            Suncrest Middle School

                                                            Morgantown High School

OHIO                                                        Bethlehem Elementary School

                                                            Steenrod Elementary School

                                                            West Liberty Elementary School

                                                            Woodsdale Elementary School

                                                            Triadelphia Middle School

PUTNAM                                                  Confidence Elementary School

                                                            Eastbrook Elementary School

                                                            Hurricane Town Elementary School

                                                            Mountain View Elementary School

                                                            Scott Teays Elementary School

                                                            West Teays Elementary School

                                                            Hurricane High School

                                                            Winfield High School

RALEIGH                                                 Maxwell Hill Elementary School

                                                            Liberty High School

                                                            Shady Spring High School

RITCHIE                                                   Ellenboro Elementary School

TYLER                                                      Tyler Consolidated High School

WEBSTER                                                Hacker Valley Elementary School

WOOD                                                      Greenmont Elementary School

                                                            Neale Elementary School

                                                            Vienna Elementary School

                                                            Williamstown Elementary School

CAREER/TECHNICAL EDUCATION EXEMPLARY CENTERS

KANAWHA                                              Garnet Career Center

PLEASANTS                                           Mid Ohio Valley Technical Institute

CAREER/TECHNICAL EDUCATION EXEMPLARY PROGRAMS

BROOKE                                                 Brooke High School

GREENBRIER                                         Greenbrier East High School

                                                           Greenbrier West High School

WAYNE                                                   Spring Valley High School

                                                           Tolsia High School

                                                           Wayne High School

To qualify as National Blue Ribbon Schools, public schools must have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds dramatically improve their performance on state tests or have students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 15 percent of their state on state tests.

NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

BERKELEY                                             Inwood Primary School

OHIO                                                       Triadelphia Middle School

RALEIGH                                                Maxwell Hill Elementary School

For more information, contact the OEPA at (304) 558-3788, or the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699.

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