SOUTH COUNTY - Wahluke and Royal are among 14 south central Washington school districts with schools that are the recipients of the 5th annual Washington Achievement Awards.

An Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) news release describes the awards as "the state's highest honor" for its public schools. They are sponsored by the OSPI and the Washington State Board of Education.

Award winners are selected on calculations based on student test scores collected statewide over three years, and (for high schools) on graduation rates.

South County schools chosen for the awards were Wahluke High School - High Progress; Mattawa Elementary School - Math Growth; and Royal Middle School - English Language Acquisition.

The awards recognize the top-performing schools on the basis of:

• Math Growth (top 5 percent in math growth ratings during 3 years), Extended Graduation Rate (only awarded to high schools).
• English Language Acquisition (top 5 percent in the state, based on a state language proficiency assessment and other criteria).
• High Progress (top 10 percent for achievement and improvement in both reading and math for three years).

Schools were selected on the basis of their standings in the Washington School Achievement Index and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility Waiver. The Washington School Achievement Index rates all schools according to specific outcomes and indicators from 2010 to 2013.