At a time when the Seattle School District is planning major changes to its funding formula, student assignment and curriculum models, all to boost student achievement, two elementary schools in Ballard are being recognized for their steady academic improvement.

Loyal Heights and West Woodland elementary schools are two of six Seattle schools to have been named a "School of Distinction" by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for improvements in reading and mathematics during the past six years. It's the first for such an award by the state.

Graham Hill, Leschi, and Olympic Hills elementary schools, and Garfield High School were also chosen. Just 86 schools in the state were granted the award.

To be considered, students had to meet the current year's state learning targets on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in both reading and mathematics. Schools that met the targets were evaluated for six-year gains based on the state's "Learning Improvement Index." Only results from grades four, seven and 10 were used, as those are the only grade levels with six years of data.

What was significant about the study was that the state didn't just look at scores; it looked at whether students were actually making gains, said Loyal Height Principal Clover Codd.

"They really looked at who was moving kids forward," said Codd. "We really worked hard at our school to pull this off. It wasn't easy."

Codd said her school's commitment and focus to align with the state's best practices of high achieving schools has been a major factor for student improvement. It includes sharing a common vision, ensuring strong leadership and aligning curriculum across the school, such as using one math program and one way of teaching reading.

"Really talking the same strategies..." Codd said. "When you build a culture of 'we're in this together,' you build a more successful school."

The school's test scores, some of the most impressive in the district, are hard to dismiss.

About 92 percent of the third grade class met the standards for reading on the 2006-2007 Washington Assessment of Student Learning exam and 93 percent passed the math requirement; 92 percent of fourth graders passed the reading test, 89 percent passed math and 78 percent for writing; Nearly 95 percent of fifth graders passed reading and 93 percent aced math.

Less than 10 percent of the students are on the free and reduced lunch program, often an indicator of poverty, and 84 percent are white. Parent involvement at the school is high, and many parents volunteer in the classrooms. Codd stressed that many working parents also help outside the school in different capacities.

"It's nice to be recognized for your hard work, but you don't do this for an award," Codd said.

Parent teacher association president Mary Slater said the key to the school's success is communication between parents, teachers and staff to figure out what the students need.

"That's the magic bullet," said Slater. "Mission level work is really critical. There's a really hand-in-hand that we need to know what each other's doing."

This year, the parent teacher association will spend $15,000 on professional development.

Over at West Woodland, principal Marilyn Loveness credits the improvements to low class sizes and quality instruction based on high expectations and knowledge of academic standards. The staff keeps a common focus on improvements in mathematics, she said.

"That focus involves recognizing where we need to improve, making a common commitment from grades kindergarten-through-5th-grade, and working as a team to share responsibility and bring new ideas to our work," said Loveness.

The school shares similar demographics to Loyal Heights, with an 80 percent white student body and slightly more than 10 percent eligible for the free and reduced lunch program.

Its test scores are also comparable to Loyal Heights. In reading, 95 percent of fourth-grade students met or exceeded the state standard, a milestone performance for the school.

About 90 percent of fourth graders passed math and 80 percent met the standards in writing. In the third grade, 87 percent passed reading and 92 percent met or exceeded math requirements. For fifth grade, 81 percent passed reading and 75 percent for math.

But for years there has been much debate over whether the Washington Assessment of Student Learning is even an appropriate academic measure. Slater likes that it's standardized, but feels uncomfortable with it being the primary measure.

"I do think there are problems with the test because kids are not all the same," she said. "There are so many other things that you can count."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com