Focus on
Standards, Weaknesses,
Earns School Honors

With a stable school population and plenty of parent support, staff members at Galena Elementary in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, were able to zero-in on student weaknesses. The efforts earned the school state honors for a sixth consecutive year in 2006. Included: One school's approach to improve learning.

Galena Elementary in Floyds Knobs, which is part of the New Albany-Floyd County system, was one of almost 200 Indiana schools recognized for excellent student performance by the Indiana Department of Education, according to an article in The Courier-Journal.

It was the sixth straight year Galena was named a Four-Star School, which the Indiana Department of Education calls 'the highest state distinction' a school can attain" the article noted.

"To be selected, the schools had to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law and rank in the top 25 percent in attendance, English and math proficiency as shown by annual state exams, and in the number of students passing both sections of the test," the article continued.

"Dwight Beall, Galena's principal, said the reasons for the school's consistently high performance include a stable population with few students transferring in and out, regular parental involvement, committed teachers, and efforts to include all students, even those with disabilities, in regular instruction." according to The Courier-Journal

"[Teacher Bev] Sprecher, who has 27 years of experience, 14 of them at Galena, said that parents have high expectations for their children and that most students 'want to learn, and that makes a difference, too.'

"'I have to give Dr. Beall credit for stressing state standards and urging teachers to concentrate on areas such as vocabulary that need attention.'" she added in the story.

SOURCE:

Some of the information in this article comes from the U.S. Department of Education. To learn more about this article, you might read:

• Galena still shines brightly.
  This news article appeared in The Courier-Journal on February 7, 2006. Note: This link was live at the time of publication. Some newspaper Web sites require registration. Others retain complete news stories for a limited time.