The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

J.A. Wendt Elementary School and John C. Thomas Middle School were recognized recently by the State Board of Education and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for their gains in educating two sub-populations of their student body.

In 2018, both schools were identified together as a Tier 1, Targeted Supports School in the area of “students with disabilities,” which means, Principal Nikki Reese explained, that “the students in this group weren’t making adequate growth.”

The rating was based on performance of this particular set of students on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in the three years prior, compared to all students.

The goal was to close that gap, and this year, the two schools were recognized for their ability to do so, with both “students with disabilities” and “students that identify with two or more races” showing growth.

“We have shown substantial growth in the ‘students with disabilities’ student group and are in the top 10 percent of identified schools in showing growth in the student group ‘students that identify with two or more races’ from the 2017-2018 academic year to the 2018-2019 academic year,” Reese said. “I’m very proud of staff and their commitment to help close the learning gap of our students. They have worked hard to meet the diverse needs of our learning community.

"This award is evidence of what can be achieved when strong collaboration, targeted instruction, and skill based intervention occurs. I’m grateful every day that I have the opportunity to work with this group of educators.”