Area school districts get top honors

Some educators and students in our area experienced an exciting day last week when Gov. Bob Holden announced his list of "Distinction in Performance" school districts.

Districts make the list based on a variety of standards, including standardized test scores, dropout rates and attendance.

Local districts attaining this level were Leopold, Nell Holcomb , Oak Ridge, Altenburg, Chaffee and Kelso.

Jackson was on the list last year, which meant the district was exempt from examination this year. The districts on the list for 2002 also will receive waivers from some state accreditation procedures.

To qualify, districts with kindergarten through grade 12 had to meet 11 out of 12 standards. Districts with kindergarten through grade 8 had to meet five out of six standards. There were 157 districts out of 524 total in Missouri that received the distinction this year.

Such educators and students deserve our praise for their hard work.