CHOICE, AN AWARD-WINNING SCHOOL
Highline CHOICE Academy has won the School of Distinction Award for the 2nd year in a row!
Highline CHOICE Academy has been selected as a Washington State 2018 School of Distinction. This award is for being “one of the 5% highest improving schools in the State of Washington for increased reading/English language arts, mathematics, and graduation rate over the past 5 years by The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE).” This award is an honor, and this is the second year in a row that we have earned it. I would like to think of the CHOICE family as a team with the goal being the success of our students. We would like to thank all the parents for their part in attaining this honor.
2018 Winners List
Highline CHOICE Academy has been selected as a Washington State 2018 School of Distinction. This award is for being “one of the 5% highest improving schools in the State of Washington for increased reading/English language arts, mathematics, and graduation rate over the past 5 years by The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE).” This award is an honor, and this is the second year in a row that we have earned it. I would like to think of the CHOICE family as a team with the goal being the success of our students. We would like to thank all the parents for their part in attaining this honor.
2018 Winners List
Highline CHOICE Academy has won the 2017 School of Distinction Award!
(From the PSESD website: https://www.psesd.org/27-schools-in-psesd-region-honored-as-school-of-distinction/)
PSESD is proud to announce that in the Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD) region, which serves King and Pierce counties and Bainbridge Island, 27 schools in 13 school districts are 2017 School of Distinction award winners. The agency will hold an award ceremony December 11 for the award winning schools.
John Welch, Puget Sound ESD Superintendent states, “We are pleased to be a partner in honoring schools within our region that set a high standard in realizing dramatic achievement gains for students. We recognize the difficult and important work that this takes. We salute the students, families, educators, and communities for their successes and for setting a high bar for us all.”
The School of Distinction Awards are designed to:
2017 School of Distinction Award Winners (PDF)
(From the PSESD website: https://www.psesd.org/27-schools-in-psesd-region-honored-as-school-of-distinction/)
PSESD is proud to announce that in the Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD) region, which serves King and Pierce counties and Bainbridge Island, 27 schools in 13 school districts are 2017 School of Distinction award winners. The agency will hold an award ceremony December 11 for the award winning schools.
John Welch, Puget Sound ESD Superintendent states, “We are pleased to be a partner in honoring schools within our region that set a high standard in realizing dramatic achievement gains for students. We recognize the difficult and important work that this takes. We salute the students, families, educators, and communities for their successes and for setting a high bar for us all.”
The School of Distinction Awards are designed to:
- Recognize sustained improvement using five years of improvement in performance data.
- Performance is defined based on two foundational skills—literacy and numeracy. Specifically, results from the state assessments over those five years of data in English language arts (ELA)and
- Use publicly available data to ensure transparency and ease of interpretation. mathematics.
- Recognize that across our K-12 system there are different performance characteristics by grade bands (elementary,middle/junior high, and high schools). We will recognize the top 5% in each band for both traditional public schools and in alternative public schools.
- Recognize meaningful improvement:-A small number (5%) of schools who have demonstrated sustained improvement in both ELA and math over a 5-year span (elementary and middle/junior high schools) and a sustained improvement in graduation rate (high schools).
2017 School of Distinction Award Winners (PDF)
- Bethel School District – Chester H Thompson Elementary
- Clover Park School District – Evergreen Elementary*, Clover Park Hillside Elementary
- Eatonville School District – Eatonville Elementary
- Enumclaw School District – Westwood Elementary
- Federal Way School District – Technology Access Foundation Academy*
- Highline School District – CHOICE Academy*, Shorewood Elementary*
- Kent School District – Crestwood Elementary*, Kentlake High, Millennium Elementary
- Riverview School District – PARADE*
- Seattle School District – Alki Elementary*, B F Day Elementary*, Cleveland High*, Hawthorne Elementary, Seattle Hazel Wolf K‐8*, Madrona K‐8 *, Olympic Hills Elementary*, Rainier Beach High*
- ShorelineSchool District – Brookside Elementary
- Sumner School District – Emerald Hills Elementary*
- Tacoma School District – Lincoln*, Oakland High, Science and Math Institute*, Wilson High*
- University Place School District – University Place Primary
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Excel Grant Recipient, Teacher Joe Evans of CHOICE Academy
From the Highline Schools Foundation Facebook Page: "To Be or Not To Be" That is The CHOICE (Academy). Joe Evans at CHOICE requested a grant to purchase The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. "Our students at CHOICE shine when they are able to act and interact, to speak and soliloquize, to see and be seen (in scenes) with their peers. This grant would allow CHOICE to be able to first and foremost put on a play creating an interdisciplinary project between Social Studies and Language Arts." All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. ~ As You Like It Act — at Highline Choice Academy. |
July 2014 - The Highline Schools Foundation shares the positive outcome of the 2013 Excel Grant
Supporting STEM with Quadcopters
George Wheeler at Highline CHOICE Academy makes science COOL! He submitted an excel grant application last fall because he wanted to purchase Quadcopter kits for his students. He explained: “Quadcopters are innovative, remotely controlled rotor-wing aircraft that utilize 4 propellers and electric motors, a processing unit, wireless connectivity and gyro-stabilization to perform a variety of unique flight functions. This activity will provide students with the opportunity to develop transferable skills that will support many occupational pathways and will encourage excitement for STEM careers.
Read the entire article here: http://www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org/2014/07/17/supporting-stem-with-quadcopters/
Supporting STEM with Quadcopters
George Wheeler at Highline CHOICE Academy makes science COOL! He submitted an excel grant application last fall because he wanted to purchase Quadcopter kits for his students. He explained: “Quadcopters are innovative, remotely controlled rotor-wing aircraft that utilize 4 propellers and electric motors, a processing unit, wireless connectivity and gyro-stabilization to perform a variety of unique flight functions. This activity will provide students with the opportunity to develop transferable skills that will support many occupational pathways and will encourage excitement for STEM careers.
Read the entire article here: http://www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org/2014/07/17/supporting-stem-with-quadcopters/
The Highline Schools Foundation recently awarded $48,675 through 77 classroom grants at 35 different schools in the Highline School District
Supporting STEM with Quadcopters George Wheeler – CHOICE Academy Quadcopters are innovative, remotely controlled rotor-wing aircraft that utilize 4 propellers and electric motors, a processing unit, wireless connectivity and gyro-stabilization to perform a variety of unique flight functions. Through hands-on, kinesthetic work, students will build, program and fly a mini quadcopter. Students will cooperate with their peers, learn good soldering techniques and develop essential STEM skills. Building quadcopters will allow students to explore the fundamentals of aerodynamics (roll, pitch, yaw, and acceleration), physics, engineering, wireless technology, computer applications, and electronics. This activity will provide students with the opportunity to develop transferable skills that will support many occupational pathways and will encourage excitement for STEM careers. In today’s global workface, students must have a firm understanding of the principles that drive computer technology, research and development. This project will help create that foundation by introducing these crucial STEM skills in a way that is interesting and engaging to students. Photo and article courtesy of the Highline Schools Foundation website, http://www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org.
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2010 School of Distinction
Highline's CHOICE Academy has been named a 2010 School of Distinction for outstanding improvement in student achievement. CHOICE is one of just 94 schools statewide to receive the award from the Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) and Phi Delta Kappa Washington State Chapter. School of Distinction Awards are presented to schools that show the most improvement on the state math and reading exams over five years. The top five percent of elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in the state receive the honor.
“Educators in these schools are creating systems of support for outstanding, sustained improvement in reading and math student performance”, CEE's Executive Director Sue Mills said. “This award celebrates the multi-year improvement in both reading and math not recognized in the federal No Child Left Behind law or in the year-to-year calculation of “Adequate Yearly Progress." CHOICE Academy is an alternative school that emphasizes high parent involvement, student responsibility, high academic standards and a small learning environment for students at the secondary level. “At Highline, we recognize that schools shouldn’t be ‘one size fits all,' and CHOICE Academy is one of the unique options we offer to students,” said Superintendent John Welch. “CHOICE is a great example of how students can soar in a learning environment that fits them well.” “This award reflects the tireless efforts of the staff, students, and parents at CHOICE,” said Coordinator of Alternative Secondary Programs Michael Sita. "We are grateful for the public recognition of our student's progress and the possibilities of this model parent partnership." In addition to being in the top five percent for improvement, the honored schools must score at or above the state average in fourth, seventh, and tenth grade reading and math assessments, as measured on the Spring 2010 Measures of Student Progress (4th and 7th grade) and High School Proficiency Exam (10th grade). CHOICE Academy was officially awarded at a state ceremony in December. Staff not pictured: Office Managers Jennifer Browning and Trudie Nichols. |