Three ESD 123 Districts Honored with New State Award Recognizing Student Achievement and Progress
Three school districts in the ESD 123 region - College Place, Finley, and Kiona-Benton City - have been recognized by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with the inaugural State Superintendent’s Award for Educational Excellence, honoring districts demonstrating strong student achievement and academic progress.
The new award recognizes 46 school districts across Washington state for their commitment to student success. Districts are selected based on either top performance in the most recent school year or significant academic progress over the past three years.
College Place, Finley, and Kiona-Benton City school districts were recognized for their academic progress over the last three school years, highlighting sustained efforts to improve student outcomes.
The award criteria align with the state’s Annual Snapshot on Student Opportunity and Outcomes, which tracks progress in key areas such as kindergarten readiness, Highly Capable participation, regular attendance, fourth grade reading, eighth grade math, ninth graders on track, and four-year graduation rates.
“There are a lot of public schools in our state doing truly fantastic work to create opportunities for students,” said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. “We wanted to make sure this work is being talked about, acknowledged, and celebrated.”
To ensure fair comparisons across Washington’s more than 300 school districts and state-tribal compact schools, OSPI standardizes performance measures across multiple student success indicators. District scores are averaged, and the top-performing districts in each category are selected for the award.
Award recipients receive a banner and plaque recognizing their commitment to providing high-quality educational opportunities for students.