Five Rockdale County schools, including all the high schools, have earned distinctions from the Governor's Office of Student Achievement.

Rockdale County High School was one of nine high schools in the state to earn the platinum award for making greatest gains in student achievement. Rockdale, Heritage, and Salem high schools make up three of only fifteen high schools to earn a gold award in the category of highest performance in the 2008-2009 Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS) awards.

Rockdale, Heritage, and Salem high schools make up three of only fifteen high schools to earn a gold award in the category of highest performance.

The three high school principals said they were delighted to receive these awards and expressed gratitude to their students and staff for their dedication to student achievement.

"Rockdale County High School is committed to continuous improvement and achieving excellence. We are thrilled to be recognized at the state level for accomplishing these goals in both categories. Our students and staff deserve this honor for all of their hard work," said Rockdale County High School Principal Georgi Brown.

"I am so proud that the faculty, staff and students are being recognized for their efforts. The gold award is the highest level we have received since this recognition program was implemented," said Heritage High School Principal Greg Fowler.

"The entire Salem family is proud of this recognition! This is a testament of the hard work of our dedicated and dynamic staff and the talented students of Salem High School," said Salem High School Principal Tonya Bloodworth.

At the elementary level, Lorraine Elementary School earned a gold award and Honey Creek Elementary earned a bronze award, both in the category of highest performance.

"It is a privilege to work with such an amazing group of educators, who through their undaunted diligence have accomplished unprecedented success," said Lorraine Elementary School Principal Dr. David Ray.

"Honey Creek has had a phenomenal year with student achievement and was named a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School and a 2009 Georgia School of Excellence. We strive to not only maintain this level of achievement, but focus on areas for improvement. I am honored to lead this dedicated team of faculty, staff, students, and parents," said Honey Creek Elementary School Principal Shirley Chesser.

"These accomplishments reflect the hard work and dedication of faculty, students, parents, staff, and administrators who have made a commitment to teaching and learning. I applaud these principals as each continues to raise the bar for their school and lead the district with student achievement. We are proud of these schools and all of our schools that have maintained excellence in order for our district to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for four consecutive years and achieve international accreditation through AdvancEd, the parent company of SACS, CASI ," said RCPS Superintendent Dr. Samuel T. King.

To earn a platinum award in the greatest gains category, schools must meet the following criteria: make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for three consecutive years, demonstrate that at least 35 percent of students exceed standards in all test areas as measured by the state assessments, and place in the 98th percentile or higher statewide in greatest student achievement gains. To earn a gold award in the highest performance category, schools must meet the following criteria: make AYP two consecutive years, demonstrate that at least 30 percent of students exceed standards in all test areas as measured by state assessments, and demonstrate that at least 97 percent of students meet or exceed standards as measured by state assessments.

For more information, visit the Governor's Office of Student Achievement web site at www.gaosa.org.