Middle School is still a winner

PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge Middle School is among 14 northwest Arkansas schools nationally recognized for strong performance on standardized tests.

Pea Ridge Middle School received higher performing recognition in math in both number of students advanced and student growth.

“It’s an honor. It’s because of the great staff, parents and students,” Sue McElroy, principal of the Middle School, said. PeaRidge Middle School has been recognized as a higher performing at least four of the past seven years that McElroy has been principal.

School superintendent Rick Neal praised McElroy and her staff for a job well done.

The National Center for Education Achievement, a division of ACT Inc., named schools in Pea Ridge, Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville and Springdale as Higher Performing Schools for 2012 based on a three-year review of test scores. A total of 69 schools in Arkansas were recognized as higher performing schools.

The national organization identified higher performing schools by looking at standardized test scores over the past three years.

The list is composed of schools with the highest number of students who performed above expectation or who scored at the advanced level on thosetests.

The achievement gap in Arkansas is the difference between the performance of at-risk students and those who are not. At risk includes special education students, English language learners and those who qualify for free or reducedprice meals.