West Ridge Recognized as Shining Example

After two years of being considered a School of Recognition, West Ridge Elementary School is also now a Spotlight School.

Led by Principal Christopher Thompson and a committed corps of experienced teachers, students at West Ridge have consistently scored above average on standardized tests. But what really sets West Ridge apart is that focused efforts on reading and math have virtually closed the achievement gap.

For example, average math scores in 2010 grew from 61.8 percent proficiency in the third grade, to 68.3 percent in fourth, to 81.9 percent in fifth.

All that hard work is being recognized by the state Department of Public Instruction by naming West Ridge a Spotlight School, according to a story in The Journal Times.

As a Spotlight School, West Ridge receives a $50,000 grant where most of it - $35,000 - will be dedicated to making West Ridge an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. If West Ridge becomes an IB school, they will be only the fourth Unified school with the designation; Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary, McKinley Middle and Case High schools are also IB schools.

The rest of the grant money will pay for expanded classroom libraries as well as the travel and printed materials cost for visiting educators who want to replicate West Ridge's success.

“At West Ridge, we talk a lot about ‘What does it mean to be quality?’” Thompson told Patch in 2011 when the school was first named a School of Recognition. “I tell children I am looking for perfection. I want them to strive.”