Putnam County elementary earns top ranking in state
Fillmore Elementary was recently added to a list of 177 schools in the state of Indiana that earned a coveted four-star ranking from the state Board of Education.
"The real key is attendance," said Fillmore Principal Brad Hayes. " The kids know there are important things going on and want to be here for them."
Back in 2002, the South Putnam School Board made the decision not to close Fillmore Elementary and send all students to Central Elementary. The $6 million renovation that took place allowed the citizens of Fillmore to retain their local school.
"The board took a leap of faith [then]. This award is confirmation we are doing what's right and effective with kids," Hayes said.
Of the 177 schools, Fillmore was the only one named from Putnam County this go around.
A total of 1,811 schools were eligible for the "Four-Star School Award."
To earn the distinction, a school must be accredited by the Indiana State Board of Education, meet Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" and perform in the top 25 percent of all the schools in the state in each of the following areas: student attendance rates, mathematics proficiency scores, English/language arts proficiency scores, and the percent of students passing both English/language arts and mathematics portion of the ISTEP.
The annual award is non-monetary, but schools earning this honor receive an award certificate.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said of the 177 schools honored for the 2006-2007 school year: "We are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize so many Indiana schools for their achievements and encourage all schools to continue striving for this accomplishment."
Other schools in the region include Cascade High School, Danville Middle School, four schools in the Avon Community School Corporation, four in Vigo County School Corporation, and three in the Plainfield Community School Corporation.
A complete list of current and past Four Star School Awardees is available online at http://www.doe.in.gov/accreditation/fourstar.html.