It's all about performance (03/12/07)

It's all about performance.

Indiana's Four Star School Awards are an imperfect way of measuring how well our schools are doing, but they're probably the best tool available.

And by that measurement, two of Jay County's schools - Bloomfield Elementary and General Shanks Elementary - rank among Indiana's finest.

Several factors go into determining which schools merit the Four Star rank.

Obviously performance on the annual ISTEP test is a huge factor, as is progress in meeting national No Child Left Behind standards.

But something as simple and fundamental as attendance is also tremendously important.

There have been a number of occasions when Jay County schools had the test scores to merit a Four Star Award but fell short by a whisker when it came to student attendance.

Does all this matter? We think so.

Look at it this way, while the Jay School Corporation had two Four Star Schools this year, Fort Wayne Community Schools had one. And that one represented Fort Wayne's first Four Star Award since 1999.

So there's considerable reason for pride and enthusiasm, and there's every reason to believe that Jay County's number and consistency of Four Star Schools can grow in the future.

It all comes down to performance.

Students and their families are the key factor, along with dedicated teaching staff and leadership from the principal's office.

Together, the school communities of Bloomfield and General Shanks performed at the highest level, helping to set a standard for excellence in Jay County's schools. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]