Solon High Only Ohio School To Receive ACT Red Quill Legacy Award

Solon High School is one of only 21 schools in the Midwest Region and the only Ohio school to receive the 2012-13 Red Quill Legacy Award from ACT for continuing academic excellence.

This is the sixth consecutive year ACT is recognizing Solon High School with a Red Quill Award, including the past two with the new Red Quill Legacy Award.

“The Red Quill Award was developed to honor educational professionals who recognize the need for diligent analysis of data and a willingness to develop and enhance curriculum and instruction based on the needs of their learning community,” said Phillip Daniel, ACT Red Quill Committee chair. “As in the past years, the schools that were considered were all excellent candidates for this honor. Participating schools and districts have demonstrated a high level of dedication and focus in their efforts to provide their students with their best opportunity to succeed.

“This year we will continue to award the Red Quill Legacy Award to those learning organizations which have already been recognized in previous years for their best practices,” Mr. Daniel added. “The Red Quill Legacy Award recognizes a long-term commitment leading to increased student achievement and systemic improvements.”

The ACT’s Red Quill and Red Quill Legacy Awards represent independent endorsement of Solon High School’s work in continuous school improvement and excellence in providing academic preparation for both college and workplace readiness. Specifically, the award recognizes schools in the ACT’s Midwest Region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin and West Virginia) that have implemented innovative approaches for improving curriculum and most importantly have demonstrated consistent increases in student ACT scores over time.

Schools that use the ACT EXPLORE and PLAN assessment programs for eighth- and 10th-grade students are eligible to apply for the Red Quill Award. To earn the award, schools must illustrate how they effectively use the results of these assessment programs to improve student achievement through curriculum and instruction. In addition, the schools are required to demonstrate consistent improvement in ACT scores over the past five years.

At Solon, teachers, counselors and administrators use data from the PLAN, EXPLORE and ACT tests to work with students and increase their individual achievement.

“We are thrilled to again receive the ACT Red Quill Legacy Award,” said SHS Principal Erin Short. “This award validates the high-level learning and instruction our students experience in our SHS classrooms. Our staff works hard to critically analyze student data, including specific ACT assessment results, to inform and refine instruction that meets students’ needs. Receiving endorsement of this collaborative process and its positive impact on student success is a high honor.”