ST LOUIS MO (stlouismo.com) - Missouri high school seniors who qualified for the “High Schools That Work” 2008 Award of Educational Achievement are receiving certificates this month. The 259 students completed a challenging program of high school courses and demonstrated their readiness for employment or college studies.
The HSTW Award of Educational Achievement is a means of recognizing high school graduates who follow a path that leads to success instead of “just getting by.” Students qualify by completing a college-prep course of study in at least two of three subject areas (English/language arts, mathematics or science); completing a concentration in a career/technical area, mathematics/science or the humanities; and meeting readiness goals in all three subject areas on the HSTW assessment.
“These students are to be commended for their efforts,” said Tom Quinn, assistant commissioner of the Division of Career Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “By taking challenging courses in high school and performing well on rigorous exams, these students have increased the likelihood of success in the workplace and in their continuing education.”
HSTW is a whole-school, research- and assessment-based reform effort for grades 9-12, established by the Southern Regional Education Board and made available in Missouri through DESE’s Division of Career Education.
The HSTW assessment, administered to seniors in even-numbered years, provides comprehensive data about student achievement and their perceptions of school and classroom experiences. The results help schools and DESE determine what is and isn’t working to increase student achievement. The next HSTW assessment will be conducted in winter 2010.
In Missouri, 2,824 students at 43 schools completed this year’s assessment. The total includes assessments taken at area career centers which are implementing the “Technology Centers That Work” program. TCTW is a specialized version of HSTW, which has been tailored to reflect the needs of a shared-time career-education facility and its students.
High Schools That Work, a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) initiative, is the largest high school improvement effort in the United States, with more than 1,100 school sites in 32 states. HSTW is supported by member states and grants from organizations, such as the Wallace Foundation, Goldman Sachs Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Whitehead Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. SREB was founded in 1948 as America’s first multi-state compact for education.
These Missouri schools took part in the “High Schools That Work” assessment:
Arcadia Valley Career Technology Center, Ironton
Ava High School
Bismarck High School
Boonslick Technical Education Center, Boonville
Bunker High School
Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center
Carthage Career Center
Caruthersville High School
Cassville High School
Central High School, Park Hills
East Newton High School
Farmington High School
Fatima High School, Westphalia
Fredericktown High School
Hazelwood School District
Hazelwood Central High School
Hazelwood East High School
Hazelwood West High School
Hickman Mills School District, Kansas City
Hickman Mills High School
Ruskin High School
Holden High School
Jackson High School
Lee’s Summit School District
Lee’s Summit High School
Lee’s Summit North High School
Lee’s Summit West High School
Mehlville High School
Monett High School
Odessa High School
Perryville Area Career and Technology Center
Pike/Lincoln Technical Center, Pike County R-III, Eolia
Pleasant Hill High School
Poplar Bluff High School
Potosi High School
Raymore-Peculiar High School
Seneca High School
South Central Career Center, West Plains
Southwest R-V High School, Washburn
Special School District of St. Louis County
North County Technical High School
South County Technical High School
Tipton High School
Truman High School, Independence School District
Webb City High School
West County High School, Park Hills (West St. Francois Co. R-IV)
Winfield High School
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