Concordia Middle School Honored with 2021 Challenge Award

Concordia Middle School was recognized Wednesday, April 6th with a 2021 Challenge Award.

The Confidence in Education Task Force administers the Challenge Awards program which recognizes Kansas schools that are making a notable difference in student achievement despite facing significant challenges in their school population.

The Confidence Task Force  is a non-profit corporation dedicated to strengthening confidence in Kansas public education and to increase awareness of the positive aspects of public education in this state.

The Task Force was created in 1981 to promote cooperation among state education agencies, bring recognition to volunteers serving public education in Kansas, and to heighten awareness of the important role of public education in our society.

District 6 Kansas State Board of Education member Deena Horst, who represents several school districts in north central and northeast Kansas, was on hand to recognize Concordia Middle School as a 2021 Challenge Award honoree.

The Challenge Awards were created to honor schools that performed well on the state assessments and had high percentages of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those who live in poverty, and often members of a minority group.

Administrators and teachers have started to see the Challenge Awards as motivation to reach for even higher levels of academic performance.  The awards help showcase the many positive academic achievements taking place in schools with predominately high-risk populations.

Concordia Middle School Principal Curtis Noon was excited to recognize his teachers, staff and students for all their hard work.

The Challenge Awards recognize schools for outstanding achievements and uncommon accomplishments based on Kansas math and reading assessment results and other qualifying factors, specifically the sample size, ethnicity and social-economic status of those taking the test.  The Confidence in Education Task Force also now include graduation rates when calculating high school results and chronic absenteeism rates for middle and elementary schools.

USD 333 Concordia Superintendent Quentin Breese said the Certificate of Merit presented to Concordia Middle School on Wednesday illustrates the notable difference their teachers are making in student achievement.

Since its inception in 2002 over 1,700 awards have been presented to schools across the state.