LPOSD schools note academic progress

SANDPOINT — The Lake Pend Oreille School District charted another good year when it comes to Idaho state rankings.

District trustees were pleased by the progress of local schools after a report by assistant administrator Doug Olin at the regular meeting Tuesday. According to data released last month from the state, LPOSD boasted some of the top schools in the state during the 2012-2013 school year.     

“Everyone is pretty excited about the results and proud to see we’re making good academic progress,” Superintendent Shawn Woodward said.

Since 2011, Idaho schools have been ranked on a 1-100 scale on several key factors, including student academic growth, proficiency according to educational standards, participation in tests and attendance. High schools are also evaluated on the availability of college prep opportunities.  

Based on those standards, Northside Elementary School isn’t just one of the highest-performing elementary schools in the state — it’s one of top schools period. Out of all Idaho schools, it ranks ninth, and when limited to elementary schools, it’s fourth in the state. The school achieved an impressive overall score of 95 points, making it a five-star school.

Not far behind was Southside Elementary, with its total score of 88. That was good enough for a five-star ranking and placement of 11th among elementary schools and 25th among all schools.

Clark Fork Junior and Senior High, another five-star school, was next in the running at 85 points. That score ranked the school at 10th among high schools and third among junior high schools.

Sandpoint High School rounds out the five-star schools of the year with 83 points total. That makes it 16th among all high schools and 14th among 9-12 grade high schools.

Most other district schools rest in the four-star range, a category also acclaimed by the Idaho Department of Education for providing high quality education. These schools include Kootenai Elementary, Sandpoint Middle School, Farmin Stidwell Elementary, Washington Elementary, Forrest M. Bird Charter School, Sagle Elementary and Hope Elementary. Sandpoint Middle School ranks fifth among all Idaho middle schools, while Kootenai and Farmin Stidwell are among the top 35 elementary schools.

As a school dedicated to serving struggling or at-risk students, Lake Pend Oreille High School faces the most difficulty under the grading standards of the five-star system. Even so, it increased its standing to a two-star school last school year. In addition, the district has received a nearly-$1 million school improvement grant to further boost performance.

With the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards presenting new challenges for local schools, trustees are encouraged by the progress established through the state review. Incidentally, the adoption of new testing procedures will require the school ranking system to be updated. It will be adjusted for the new system and likely be ready to go by the next academic year, Woodward said.