Juniors' effort brings UJSHS award

UNIONTOWN -- Dedication and hard work has spelled success for a group of juniors at Uniontown Junior Senior High School.

UJSHS officials recently learned that the school has been awarded a certificate of merit as part of the 6th Annual Challenge Awards. The award recognizes schools for outstanding achievement and uncommon accomplishment based on Kansas assessment results in reading and math from 2009, and other qualifying factors, specifically the sample size, ethnicity and socioeconomic status of those taking the test.

"Simply put, we were the best among comparable groups," USD 235 Superintendent Randy Rockhold said.

UJSHS has been honored as a result of the performance of 11th graders this year on the reading assessment.

"We have an amazing language arts program," Rockhold said. "The level of professionalism, expertise, and the expectation of this department is second to none. I therefore wasn't surprised by the award, but very proud that a group of exceptional teachers and kids are getting the recognition they deserve."

For each of the 14 state assessments, 60 state schools were originally identified as high performing. A statistical model was used that included test results and percent of the sample that received free or reduced-price lunch. A sample size minimum of 20 was set. From those 60 schools, the top score from 10 regions was selected for a certificate of merit, according to the Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force.

In total, 132 certificates -- out of 1,710 school buildings statewide -- were awarded with 29 buildings receiving two or more awards. Recipients represent 64 different school districts.

Schools that received certificates of merit will be recognized during a ceremony scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Lakewood Middle School, 1135 Lakewood Circle, Salina. The event will be attended by members of the Kansas Board of Education and other state education officials.

Rockhold said the award is a result of hard work by teachers and students working together toward a common goal.

"Achievement is always the result of quality instruction, getting the students to make the learning goal a priority, and working together with a concerted effort to accomplish the learning goal," he said. "When you combine quality instruction with hard work by students, good things happen."

Alicia Jackson, a long-time English teacher at UJSHS, said she has primarily been the person "responsible for building on the strong foundation that other teachers have laid for the students through the years." Jackson teaches English to juniors and seniors at the school.

Jackson added that she agrees with Rockhold that hard work by students makes a difference.

"The students are dedicated to doing their best on the testing and encourage each other to take the process seriously," she said. "Their efforts have paid off with some amazing results."

Studies show that the greatest achievement gap occurs in schools with a high percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Schools that receive a Challenge Award have managed to post state assessment scores above what would normally be expected among those districts serving disadvantaged populations, according to the Kansas Department of Education.

"We are blessed to have exceptional teachers, top notch staff, amazing backing and expectation from parents, focused students, and an entire educational community that has a great deal of pride in Uniontown schools," Rockhold added. "Our school and community also have very high expectations. Our teachers come to school focused on teaching and students come to school focused on learning. We are simply focused on student achievement, and individualized instruction to ensure all students are enabled to achieve their potential."