For the second year in a row, Hillcrest Elementary School earned a “Reward” designation from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for high student progress. Hillcrest is one of only 12 schools throughout the state to consecutively receive Reward status. As a High-Progress Reward school, Hillcrest is in the top 10 percent of Title I schools statewide in reading and math, combined, for three years.

On Feb. 14, Amy Beth Cook, Lake Stevens School District Superintendent, and Steve Burleigh, Hillcrest Elementary School Principal, hosted an impromptu celebration, where they notified Hillcrest staff of the honor.

“This outstanding achievement is an important recognition of your leadership and the work you do on a daily basis for our students,” said Cook. “I know you’ve been working incredibly hard, and I’m extremely proud of your work and that of your students. Congratulations on behalf of myself and the school board.”

“This is a compilation of the hard work we have consistently been doing for several years,” said Burleigh. “I’m very excited about this honor and what it represents—only 12 schools in the entire state received this honor—that’s huge!”

Washington state was granted a waiver from some of the requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—also known as No Child Left Behind. As part of the waiver, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is required to annually identify schools as “Priority schools,” “Focus schools” and “Reward schools.” OSPI uses a revised accountability system and index that measures a student’s proficiency in multiple content areas over time and other student growth data. Before the waiver, only reading and math test scores and graduation rates were measured. According to OSPI, the waiver gives the state more time to improve student performance among certain groups, such as English Language Learners, minorities, special education students and those who receive free or reduced-priced meals.

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