Schools from six of the 30 districts in the Educational Service District 112 region received a School of Distinction (SOD) award on November 6th. Camas, Castle Rock, Longview, Lyle, Vancouver and Washougal districts each have one school being awarded for sustained improvement in English language arts (ELA), math, and graduation rates over the past five years.

Hayes Freedom High (Camas), Castle Rock Elementary (Castle Rock), RA Long High (Longview), Dallesport Elementary (Lyle), Benjamin Franklin Elementary (Vancouver), and Canyon Creek Middle (Washougal) are among the 98 schools in Washington State so honored by the Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) and their partner organizations for continuous and substantive improvement.

Of significant note are first-time honors for Dallesport Elementary and Hayes Freedom High. Dallesport Elementary, a school with 70% of its students living in poverty in Lyle, saw a 580% improvement (from 5th percentile to 34th) in ELA / math scores. Hayes Freedom, a school of choice in Camas, saw a 19% increase in graduation rates (from 72% to 86%) over the last five years. RA Long in Longview also showed a significant increase (38%) in graduation rates, jumping from 68% to 94%.

Castle Rock Elementary and RA Long High are both celebrating their third consecutive awards, each being a SOD school in 2015, 2016, and 2017. This is also the third award for Canyon Creek Middle, named a SOD in 2007, 2016, and 2017. Benjamin Franklin Elementary is celebrating its second consecutive win, having received the honor in 2016 and 2017.

“These awards are a testament to the hard work of staff and students,” said Tim Merlino, Superintendent of Educational School District 112. “Our region is proud of their great accomplishments and we look forward to celebrating with them during local recognition events.”

School of Distinction honorees are selected using OSPI reported data from the data downloads section of the state report card. A school must have data in at least three of five years to be considered–one of which must be 2017. “Improvement” is defined as the slope of linear trend over the five years. This is the 11th year School of Distinction awards have been given.