9 receive educational achievement award at KHS

Nine students at Kennett High School (KHS) are among the nearly 700 students across the state who recently qualified for the High Schools That Work (HSTW) Award of Educational Achievement.

According to Marsha Ruettgers, of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the HSTW Award of Educational Achievement is a special recognition offered by the Southern Regional Education Board for highs school seniors taking the HSTW assessment who complete a college preparatory course of study in two of three subject areas (English, mathematics, and science) and a career/technical, mathematics/science, or humanities concentration; and who meet the performance goals on the HSTW assessment.

"In other words, not only are these seniors being recognized for completing a quality course of study, but for their ability to demonstrate superior achievement on the 2010 HSTW assessment," Ruettgers said.

Across the state, more than 3,500 seniors took the 2010 HSTW assessment. From that number, only 690 qualified for the HSTW Award of Educational Achievement. The nine students from KHS are Kasey Ellis, Allyson Luce, Elizabeth Hively, Holly Jones, Vickie Panousis, Aubrey Rowe, Yiota Panousis, Meredith Combs, and Dillon Johnson.

Kennett High School Principal Ed Siebenhuener said he is proud of the students and the recognition they have brought to the school.

"It is great. I appreciate [their hard work]," Siebenhuener said. "It had nothing to do with their grade, they just took an assessment. It was pretty tough."

"[HSTW] is a school improvement initiative that focuses on raising the rigor for all students in an effort to prepare them all to be either career or college ready," said Rayanna Dalton, curriculum director for Kennett Public Schools. "I think it is outstanding that we have been involved in this initiative for the last two years, given the fact that all of the information that is coming down the pipe from President Obama and the potential re-authorization of No Child Left Behind.

"One of the things [Obama] has been quoted as saying is that the re-authorization will contain a component that states all students will be career and/or college ready. I feel like we are definitely ahead of the curve with what we are doing at the middle school, high school, and technical center in being involved with this initiative."

Dalton said the HSTW assessment is a "difficult test" and the district is proud of the students for their achievements.

"A part of the initiative is that every other year, our students have to take the High Schools That Work assessment," Dalton said. "It is very rigorous. It is a very difficult test.

"We are very proud of the fact that nine of our students meet all three of the criteria that [the Southern Regional Education Board] sets for the educational award."

Dalton said that although only nine of the students met all of the criteria, she feels many of the students performed well on the test.

"I feel certain that we will have lots of other students who performed very well on the assessment," Dalton said. "They just may not have met all three of the criteria [for the award]."

Dalton said the nine students who qualified for the HSTW Award of Educational Achievement will receive their certificates at the awards assembly in May.