John James Audubon Elementary, Rosa Parks Elementary, Benjamin Rush Elementary and Redmond High schools from Lake Washington School District (LWSD) have been recognized by the Washington State Board of Education (SBE) with English Language Acquisition Awards.

These first-ever awards are being given to 42 schools statewide, representing 26 districts. Four schools each from LWSD and Seattle Public Schools won awards, the highest number.

The SBE created the Language Acquisition Award at its March board meeting to recognize schools whose English Language Learner (ELL) students are making the greatest progress toward the goal of becoming proficient in English, which is a stepping stone to career and college-readiness.

“We are very proud of the hard work being done by teachers and staff members in our English Language Learner program throughout the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce. “ELL staff members help students to lay the groundwork that is essential for these students to access the district’s academic program and succeed in life beyond high school.”

SBE Chair Dr. Kristina Mayer added, “Language acquisition is an indicator of school success and deserves to be acknowledged. We want to shine the light on what is working so it can be replicated across the state. The board will work with OSPI and other partners to support award-winning schools in sharing their strategies and best practices.”

A single ELL teacher is assigned to each of these schools with one instructional assistant (IA) assisting at the elementary level.