MADISON -- The Lac qui Parle Valley School District's elementary school at Madison has been honored for achieving a five-star rating in math and reading in last spring's Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments.
The school was one of about 120 schools out of 1,863 public schools in the state to achieve five stars in both subjects on tests taken by third-grade and fifth-grade students in the spring of 2005, according to Kipp Stender, principal.
He said 222 schools achieved five stars in reading and 193 schools achieved five stars in math on the state's annual report card last fall.
Certificates noting the achievement from the Minnesota Department of Education were presented on Thursday by State Rep. Aaron Peterson, DFL-Madison, to the students and staff at the Madison-Marietta-Nassau Elementary School in Madison.
Peterson, a graduate of the Madison school before the Lac qui Parle Valley consolidation, was asked by Stender to present the certificates. The Madison school has 204 students in kindergarten through grade six. Students, staff and the public attended the program.
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The program was held to show appreciation to the students and staff, Stender said. "Students were very excited. I think they felt very good about doing that and the staff, I think, appreciated the recognition.''
Stender listed three components to a quality education: hard-working and motivated students, dedicated and caring staff, and loving and supportive parents. "And I think you need all three of those to be able to achieve to that level,'' said Stender.
The staff, the community, parents and students all have high expectations, he said. "They all work hard, they're disciplined. It makes my job great. I've got the best job in the world.''
Stender said the school has achieved five stars in reading for three consecutive years. He said there is more to education then test scores. "But it's just a way to show appreciation for the hard work that the kids do and the staff -- recognize them for their efforts,'' he said.
