Norwin elementary school again recognized as top 5% in Pennsylvania

For the second consecutive year, Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace Elementary School is a Title I Distinguished School.

Sheridan Terrace won the designation for the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 school years, according to the state Department of Education’s federal programs division.

It was one of 94 schools to receive the award for being in the top 5% of the state.

“The teachers at Sheridan Terrace work to achieve ambitious goals for targeted interventions and academic achievement,” said Heather Newell, principal of the school located in North Huntingdon.

Sheridan Terrace’s assessment scores demonstrated strong academic growth. The state used performance data from the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 school years, plus several other criteria, in selecting Sheridan Terrace as a Distinguished School.

Families have supported the efforts by making certain students are in school and they communicate often with the teachers, Newell said. It is through the partnership forged between home and school “that students are able to perform so strongly on standardized assessments,” Newell said in a statement.

The Title I distinguished school designation “validates their focus on academics and the hard work of every student, teacher and family,” said Jeff Taylor, Norwin superintendent.

Eric Levis, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as Title I, was developed to provide more money for extra aid to students who have trouble reading. The federal program, started under President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, addresses academic difficulty, distributes money to the schools and is based upon poverty levels.