Spooner Middle School Earns 'Beating-The-Odds' Recognition Award

It was announced today that the Spooner Middle School has earned a state award.

Spooner Middle School Principal Brad Larrabee provided a statement via email shortly after the announcement was made.

With great excitement I share that Spooner Middle School recently received notice of earning an WI state award for being a 2016-17 Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition. The Title I Schools of Recognition award is designated for schools who meet the following criteria: 95% or higher state test participation, a dropout rate of less than 6%, and an absenteeism rate of less than 13% and are identified as High-Achieving Schools, High-Progress Schools or Beating the Odds Schools. This is a great honor and recognizes SMS for being a school who is Beating the Odds.

On May 1, 2017 Mrs. Stanley and I will travel to Madison for a recognition ceremony at the State Capital. At 12:00p.m. SMS will be presented with a commemorative plaque by Dr. Tony Evers State Superintendent recognizing SMS and all of our staff for our devotion and lasting impact on all students. Spooner Middle School transitioned to School Wide Title I services in the 2015-16 school year. This program provides SMS with federal monies to promote academic programming. This transition has allowed SMS to increase instructional programming in our Response to Intervention (RtI) services which allows us to target students needs below, on, and above grade level performances.

Please join me in celebrating this achievement by all of the staff at Spooner Middle School. Thank you each for ensuring our students are able to Dream, Believe, Achieve and Excel.

(Department of Instruction - PRESS RELEASE) -- State Superintendent Tony Evers announced 178 Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition awards for the 2016-17 academic year, an honor that recognizes success in educating students from low-income families.

“These schools stand out for their efforts to educate our kids,” Evers said. “They are staffed by dedicated educators who work with parents, families, and the school community to support the needs of all kids through rigorous programming and attention to student needs.”

All award-winning schools receive federal Title I funding to provide services to high numbers or high percentages of economically disadvantaged children. During the May 1 ceremony at the State Capitol, the state superintendent will recognize 21 High-Achieving schools and 21 High-Progress schools as identified by results from 2015-16 statewide assessments; nine schools will be recognized for earning both High-Achieving and High-Progress honors (see below).

Schools meeting all criteria will receive a plaque at the awards ceremony. During the recognition event, four schools will receive banners for earning the Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition award for 10 consecutive years, and nine schools will receive commemorative flags for earning the award for five consecutive years. One school — Marengo Valley School in the Ashland School District — has earned the award for all 14 years of the program. This year’s 178 Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition Award recipients include 141 elementary schools serving K-8 students, four intermediate schools, 27 middle or junior high schools, and six high schools.

“In our data driven society, it’s easy to dismiss a school by looking at its demographic makeup. These schools would not be ‘expected’ to have the student academic achievement and gap closing results they have because of high levels of poverty,” Evers noted. “Their success is something to celebrate; it serves as an example of the importance of schools, families, and communities working together to ensure that every child graduates ready for college and careers.”

Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition Criteria

Schools receive federal Title I aid when they have significant numbers of students from low-income families. The schools that earn recognition also must meet the state’s test-participation, attendance, and dropout goals as well as additional award criteria:

High-Achieving Schools

have achievement gaps that are less than 3 points between student groups or show evidence of reducing gaps
demonstrate high achievement at the school level

High-Progress Schools

fall within the top 10 percent of schools experiencing growth in reading and mathematics for elementary and middle school students or the top 10 percent of schools with the greatest improvement in high school graduation rates
have achievement gaps that are less than 3 points between student groups or show evidence of reducing gaps

Beating-the-Odds Schools:

are in the top 25 percent of high-poverty schools in the state
have above-average student achievement in reading and mathematics when compared to schools from similarly sized districts, schools, grade configurations, and poverty levels

Area 'Beating-the-Odds' Schools:

Barron Area School District
- Almena Elementary School Ridgeland
- Dallas Elementary School
Hayward Community School District
- Hayward Middle School
Ladysmith School District
- Ladysmith Elementary School
- Ladysmith Middle School
Spooner Area School District
- Spooner Middle School
Webster School District
- Webster Elementary School
- Webster Middle School