news-record.com

HIGH POINT -- Oak Hill Elementary has collected another honor for improving academic performance.

Oak Hill and the Middle College at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University recently received Signature School awards from the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium. The schools were recognized for significant improvement in the last 12 months. The organization honored 21 schools among 15 Triad counties.

Just two years ago, Oak Hill had one of the lowest performance composites in the state. Principal Patrice Faison, who was named the district's Principal of the Year, helped guide the school to a 19.4 percentage-point increase on its End-of-Grade composite test. The school also had double-digit gains in EOG reading, math and science.

Faison attributed the school's progress to hard work from staff, students and parents combined with more parental and community involvement. She was among three Guilford County Schools administrators recognized recently by Business Leader Magazine. Faison made the "mover and shaker" list.

Both Oak Hill and the Middle College were recognized as two of the district's 16 Most Improved Schools and received $9,600 each from Businesses for Excellence in Education.

The Middle College magnet school had the largest End-of-Course composite gains among high schools with an 11.5 percentage-point increase. Making AYP in 2010-11, the school was one of 29 Guilford County schools honored as a School of Distinction by the state. The class of 2011 earned more than $600,000 in scholarships and had a graduation rate of 95 percent. The school has increased parental involvement with creative events like the "Mom Prom" and "Young Men of Distinction Day."

The consortium, a group aimed at improving education and education administration in the Triad, is governed by a board of directors comprised of the superintendents of the member school districts.