TOPSHAM

Williams-Cone School was one of 236 U.S. public schools named Tuesday a National Blue Ribbon School.

The prestigious Blue Ribbon program recognizes schools where students perform at very high levels or show significant improvements in closing achievement gaps.

According to a news release about the designation from the Maine Department of Education, in the 2011-12 school year, 81 percent of Williams-Cone students achieved proficiency or above on the state assessment in reading and 77 percent did in math — up from 66 percent in both read- ing and math in 2007-08.

The K-5 school, which serves just more than 200 students under the leadership of Principal Randa Rineer, is part of School Administrative District 75.

“It is one of the highest achievements that a school — public and private — can have bestowed upon them,” Rineer said Tuesday.

The school has shown especially significant gains among its third graders, who are scoring higher than “proficient” in math.

Proficiency increased from 26 percent in 2007-08 to 51 percent in 2011-12 and in reading from 3 percent in 2007-08 to 37 percent in 2011-12.

“We were chosen because we’ve been a consistently high performing school,” Rineer said, “which is a real tribute to the staff and to the community, to the school district at large and also to previous leadership.”

She said the district’s decision to invest in professional development — with programs like the Columbia University’s Teachers College and Everyday Mathematics — and programming that includes before- and afterschool programming for students are all components that have led to excellence.

Last spring, the state gave Williams-Cone an “A” in a controversial new school performance grading system rolled out by the Maine Department of Education, noting “proficiency and growth above state averages and 100 percent participation on state assessments.

“The school also had remarkable growth among its most struggling 25 percent of students, with 77.1 percent of those students improving in math and 69 percent in reading, well above the state averages of 48 percent and 58 percent respectively,” the state report card noted.

“The Williams-Cone School is committed to high student achievement and has the results to prove it,” the state’s Deputy Education Commissioner Jim Rier said. “This blue ribbon is just the latest well-deserved recognition for this school that is continuously improving because of its dedication to supporting the success of every child, no matter their challenges.

“The students, staff and community of Williams-Cone should be proud of their excellence, and other schools in Maine should look to them as a shining example of effective, engaging learner-centered education.”

Rineer, who took over as principal following the departure of Steve Ciembroniewicz in the fall of 2012, said when she learned last December of the school’s nomination, she was excited, surprised and very honored.

The only school in Maine to receive the designation this year, Rineer said Williams- Cone, with help from district staff and the community, undertook the rigorous application process over the course of six weeks that required at least 12 essays that “required us to really take an in-depth look at our school community from an academic piece, looking at our student achievement data, to how do we meet individual student needs, how are we addressing subgroups, how do we address overall grade level and building student achievement; to what are the special things about our school that contribute positively to overall student achievement.

“And the piece for me coming in as their first-year principal that was very, very apparent was the fact that we’re a community school, and the strong presence of our community and the strong support of our community in a variety of capacities,” Rineer said.

The U.S. Department of Education will honor Williams-Cone and the other schools in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in November. Rineer will attend with another staff member.

In its 31st year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized more than 7,000 schools, including more than 50 from Maine.

Bowdoin Central School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 1991-92.

For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program in Maine, visit www.maine.gov/doe/recognition.

dmoore@timesrecord.com