PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge Middle School is listed as one of the higher performing schools in the state and will be used as a model for other schools, according to principal Sue Terry. The school scored high in math and literacy.

“It’s one of the top 10 in the state,” Terry said. “I’m really proud of everybody. It takes thehard work of the parents, students and teachers. It takes all of them.”

She said that the school will be evaluated in April along with her, superintendent Mike Van Dyke and curriculum coordinator Bonnie Fulmer to teach other schools and educators the secret behindtheir success.

Several schools in Benton and Washington counties were recognized Friday as higher-performing schools by the National Center for Educational Achievement.

The list identifies those elementary, middle and high schools that consistently outperformed their peers that serve similar student populations and recognizes achievement in bringing more students to college and career readiness than expected.

Schools on the list are identified by one of two measures: academic growth of students at the school and/or absolute achievement of students at the school using the stateAugmented Benchmark Exam’s advanced performance level. The measures exemplify not only those schools that are able to improve their student performance from previous years but also those schools that push their students beyond the proficient level - a level the organization considers too low to accurately measure student preparedness for postsecondary learning.

The organization’s identification of higher performing schools comprises about 8 percent of public schools in the state.

News, Pages 1 on 02/23/2011