Ridgefield elementary school recognized in state, nationally

Ridgefield — South Ridge Elementary School earned a Distinguished School Award through the 2017-2018 national Title I, Part A program. The school was selected for the award for demonstrating a wide array of strengths, such as team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized and multi-tiered systems of approach for student success and strong partnerships between the school, parents and community. South Ridge was also honored as a Distinguished School in Washington State due to student performance in English Language Arts in Smarter Balanced Assessments based on student growth percentiles and state average scores for two or more years. According to the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Washington State Report Card, the percentage of third-grade students at South Ridge meeting standard in Smarter Balanced testing in English Language Arts exceeded the state average in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 by 22 percentage points or more. The school will receive a $10,000 award for the national recognition and $5,000 for its statewide recognition.