Carl Cozier Honored with Closing the Achievement Gap Award

Staff members at Carl Cozier Elementary School have earned the 2012 Closing the Achievement Gap for their exemplary work to improve opportunities for all students, specifically in the area of closing gaps among races/ethnicities. Staff at Bellingham High School received honorable mention for their work with low-income students. 

The Closing the Achievement Gap Award is given annually to one school districtwide that distinguishes itself according to Washington State Achievement Index data.

"Of all the awards I give, this one is very near to my heart," says Superintendent Greg Baker. "Students come to us at different starting points in their learning and this award represents staff working tremendously hard on behalf of all kids to improve opportunities for everyone. Please join me in congratulating our staff at Carl Cozier and BHS."

The Washington State Achievement Index includes measures of academic achievement to distinguish those schools that are closing the gaps. The Race/Ethnicity Gap is measured by ratings in reading and math that consider how many students meet standard, how the school compares to similar schools, and improvement from previous years. The income gap is measured by ratings in reading, writing, math and science for non low-income student compared to low-income students and the improvement from previous years.