District Awards and Honors

CHENEY HIGH SCHOOL NAMED ONE OF NEWSWEEK'S 2013 "AMERICA'S BEST HIGH SCHOOLS"
Cheney High School was recently notified of their recognition as one of the best 2,000 public high schools in the nation - those that have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready grads.  The list is based on six components:  graduation rate, college acceptance rate, AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student, average SAT/ACT scores, average AP/IB/AICE scores, and the percent of students enrolled in at least one AP/IB/AICE course.  Congratulations to the students and staff of CHS - we always knew you were the best!
 
CHENEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAKES 2012-13 AP HONOR ROLL
The College Board has identified Cheney Public Schools as an AP Honor Roll recipient.  The District Honor Roll is based on an examination of three years of AP data:  2010, 2011, and 2012 data from all students who took AP examinations in May. Cheney Public Schools increased the number of students participating in AP programs while maintaining high performance levels of 3 or higher on the AP Examination.  Cheney Public Schools recognizes the efforts of Steve Arensmeyer, Corey Anderson, Jeff Butler, Shasta Doll, Alan Harmon, Adam Marsh, Rachel Martin, and Darrelyn McDermott. In addition, the Board of Directors commends all teachers for preparing students for successful participation in an AP course. Special thanks to Mr. Ray Picicci for his leadership of advanced placement and AVID programming.  AP College Board Press Release
 
CHENEY HIGH SCHOOL AWARDED 2012 BRONZE MEDAL
U.S. News has launched its fourth annual list of America's Best High Schools, and Cheney High School has been awarded a Bronze Medal. To produce this list, U.S. News teamed up with School Evaluation Services (SES), a K-12 education data research business run by Standard & Poor's. SES developed the comprehensive methodology that judges how well high schools serve all their students, not just those who are collegebound. Please visit the following website for more information: http://education.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-high-schools/listings/washington/cheney-high-school
 
CHENEY SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS TOP 5% IN STATE
Our district was recently identified as a highest performing school district (top 5% in our state) by the Washington School Research Center, at Seattle Pacific University. This identification is based upon an analysis of student achievement data from 2005-2011. As a result, we have been selected to participate in further research in the Washington State Effective District Practices study. This new study is based upon a previous study titled, "From Compliance to Commitment: A Report on Effective School Districts in Washington State." District selection for this study was based on several criteria, including socio-economic status of students and the overall success of our 4th grade students on the state assessment.
 
WASHINGTON STATE AUDITOR'S OFFICE IDENTIFIES DISTRICT AS ONE OF TOP 15 IN STATE
The Washington State Auditor's Office recently did an analysis of the 295 school districts in the state, and identified Cheney Public Schools as one of the top 15 districts in the state making significant student acheivement gains while reducing non-instructional costs.  Basically, we have been identified as outperforming our peers (11 other districts of comparable size and student demographics) in terms of student academic achievement and also having significantly lower operating costs.  The State Auditor's office will develop a report which will provide guidance to other school districts after asking us open-ended questions about our practice.  The goal for the Auditor's Office is to identify practices that contribute to holding down non-instructional costs while maximizing the funding for classroom instruction.
 
SUNSET AND WINDSOR SCHOOLS SELECTED FOR WASHINGTON ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
The State Board of Education and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction celebrate top-performing schools and recognize achievement in language arts, math, science, graduation rate, improvement and closing achievement gaps through the Washington Achievement Award. This highly selective award is based on the school's performance according to the Washington Achievement Index, a comprehensive measurement of, over time, how schools perform.  Both Windsor and Sunset Elementary Schools received special recognition through the state's Closing Achievement Gaps award.  For further information on this prestigious award:  www.k12.wa.us/EducationAwards/washingtonachievement/default.aspx