PHILLIPS – SAD 58 Superintendent Quenten Clark received good news just in time for Christmas. In letters dated Dec. 21 from state Education Commissioner Susan Gendron, three schools in the district were recognized for their performance during the last academic year.

An important aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act is the recognition of schools improving their performance or consistently achieving high performance in reading and math, Gendron said in the letters. Recognition is based on Maine’s Learning Results performance standards. According to Gendron, 73 percent of Maine’s public schools met No Child Left Behind standards last year.

In SAD 58, Stratton Elementary was recognized for consistent improvement in grade four reading and mathematics, Phillips Elementary for consistently high performance in grade eight mathematics, and Strong Elementary for high performance in grade four mathematics. This is the second consecutive year that the Strong and Phillips schools received these distinctions, Phillips being one of only three statewide and Strong one of 10 last year.

The improving schools have, in four of the last five years, increased the number of students meeting the standard performance level, decreased the number who do not meet them, achieved a gain of 20 percent in both reading and math or a positive movement in one area and 40 percent improvement in the other.

High performing schools maintained average student performance over the past three years at or above 70 percent in reading or 50 percent in math.

Dave Crandall, principal of Phillips Elementary, attributes the school’s math performance to teacher Verne Voter, whom he called an “exceptional math teacher.”

He said the small size of the school, 178 students in kindergarten through grade 8, contributes as well. Staff members “own” their students for their four years in middle school, he said, which enables them to ensure they achieve positive results.

“The teachers really own the kids and can set high standards for them,” he said.

Parents are also extremely supportive, he added.

Because Phillips Elementary is one of only a handful of schools to meet such high standards in math, Crandall said curriculum coordinators from other districts have been calling the school for advice.

Although reaching high performance status is commendable, improvement status is more significant, according to Patrick Phillips of the state Department of Education.

“Being able to improve over time is the most important achievement that schools can demonstrate,” he said. Improvement shows that the schools are working with various assessment data and, more importantly, using it to institute adjustments to curriculum, instruction and parent relationships, he said.

Other area schools recognized for performance last year include:

• Academy Hill School in Wilton for improving reading and math in grade four.

• Cape Cod Hill Elementary School in New Sharon, for improving reading in grade four.

• Mount Vernon Elementary School for improving math in grade four.