For the second straight year, Kent’s Millennium Elementary has been recognized as a School of Distinction.

The Puget Sound Educational Service District awarded 26 schools in 10 districts for their continuous and substantive improvement in English language arts and math over a five-year period.

“We are thrilled to honor the 2018 Schools of Distinction and celebrate with the students, school staff, district leaders and communities for their contribution in this honor,” said John Welch, Puget Sound ESD superintendent. “We pause to recognize these great strides in academic achievement as a collective work of many. Congratulations on this awesome accomplishment and thank you for reminding all of us to never stop and always continue to aim higher to reach excellence in education.”

PSESD will host a celebration for the award recipients in December.

Specifics of the methodology used to determine 2018 winners are summarized below:

Now in its 12th year, the School of Distinction awards were created in the summer of 2007 to recognize the highest improving schools in the state. The awards are not intended as a replacement for state and federal accountability measures of school performance, but rather as a supplemental measure to recognize and celebrate school staff, students, and leaders who improve performance for all students over a sustained period of time in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The methodology has remained unchanged over the 12 years other than allowing for the transition from Measures of Student Progress (MSP) to Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) starting in 2015.

More information on the methdology can be found at effectiveness.org.