The Ohio Department of Education recently announced that Washington Court House City Schools earned six state awards based on the 2017-2018 state report card.

These awards include the All A Award, the Overall A Award, the High Progress School of Honor, and three Momentum Awards, making WCHCS one of the highest awarded districts in the state, according to district officials.

“I am extremely proud of our entire district,” WCHCS Superintendent Tom Bailey said. “Especially the hard work that our faculty puts in to give our students an outstanding education.”

The State Board of Education of Ohio recognized 28 districts and 310 schools for earning an overall grade of “A” on the 2017-2018 Ohio School Report Cards. Of that, an elite group of two districts and 57 schools received the All A Award for earning straight As.

Of the over 3,000 schools in Ohio, Cherry Hill Primary School was recognized as one of the 57 elite schools to earn the All A Award, in addition to the Overall A Award.

“The State Board of Education is proud to recognize these students, teachers, administrators and parents for their accomplishments,” said State Board of Education President Tess Elshoff.

The next award was earned by Belle Aire Intermediate School as one of 66 High Progress Schools of Honor. The Schools of Honor title is earned by sustaining high achievement and/or substantial progress while serving a significant number of economically-disadvantaged students.

“These schools are creating the right conditions to close achievement gaps and address the issues that sometimes prevent students from taking full advantage of educational opportunities,” said Paolo DeMaria, Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction. “These schools are clearly advancing the vision of Ohio’s strategic plan for education, ‘Each Child, Our Future.’ Congratulations to these schools, their teachers and administrators for making a real difference in the lives of their students.”

The Momentum Award is presented by the State Board of Education and recognizes schools for exceeding expectations in student growth for the year. Schools must earn straight As on all Value-Added measures on the report card. The school or district must have at least two Value-Added subgroups of students, which includes gifted, lowest 20 percent in achievement, and students with disabilities.

Both Belle Aire Intermediate School and Washington Middle School earned the Momentum Award, with only 226 schools out of over 3,000 in Ohio receiving such honors. Additionally, WCHCS was one of 70 districts out of over 600 to earn the district-wide award.

This is the third year in a row that Washinton Middle School has been recognized by the state for their momentum.

“I would also like to thank the administrative team for their hard work to lead us every day, as well as our wonderful classified staff that assist our students, feed our students, transport our students, and keep our buildings clean and operable,” Bailey said. “Everyone in the Blue Lion family is an integral part of our team.”