School wins Academic Distinction from TEA

August 8, 2014

The Texas Education Agency released the 2014 STAAR Distinction Designations Aug. 7 for the 2013-2014 school year.

Wylie East High School was ranked in the top 25 percent for Closing Performance Gaps.

“I’m so proud of the work and dedication of the WEHS staff,” Principal Mike Williams said. “This distinction was earned by each staffulty member from custodian, office secretary, classroom teacher, counselor and assistant principal.”

The credit for this great achievement does not solely belong to the East staffulty.

“Even during the dark days of the spring, our staff remained focused on students and their success,” Williams said. “A big thank you needs to go to our campus learning specialists, Megan Maxwell, Jeff Hattaway, Adam Jacobson and Missy Hefty which walked hand and hand with staff to make this happen.”

Maxwell is a former English Language Arts teacher at both Wylie High School and East. She works closely with the ELA departments to prepare them for state testing.

“The ‘Closing the Performance Gap’ distinction is the most difficult distinction to receive,” Maxwell said. “The Wylie East teachers and students have gone above and beyond to use data to guide their instruction and focus on areas which need improvement.”

The distinction is new for 2014. It is awarded for outstanding performance in closing student achievement gaps if the school is ranked in the TOP 25 percent of campuses in its comparison group for Index 3.

“This is the hardest and the most important distinction for a high school to get,” Dr. Jeannie Stone, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said. ” This means a lot for Wylie East and you guys should be very proud! We are celebrating the hard work and improvement that Wylie East is making!”

For 2014, Distinction Designations are possible in the following areas:

Academic Achievement in Reading/English Language Arts