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Some Sterling Elementary students were a little confused by the all-school recess and all-school assembly, where music bellowed through the loudspeakers and their peers ran around and danced excitedly.

Christine Ermold, the principal at Sterling, said she had students coming up and asking her what was going on.

"I explained that really I was celebrating them," she said. "Whether school was hard or easy, they showed up, worked hard, paid attention and did what their families asked and now, they're showing incredible achievement, and that deserved to be celebrated."

On Nov. 4, Ermold and her students were celebrating the school receiving the Title I Distinguished School for Alaska Category 2 Award for closing the achievement gap between student groups.

The mouthful of an award is given to a school where students who have been earmarked as likely to score below their peers, because they fall into a certain subgroup, are instead able to keep up or excel.

Sterling's recognition was primarily because of the performance of the students in the "Economically Disadvantaged" subgroup.

Students coming from families that receive some type of assistance such as food stamps or free or reduced lunches would fall into this group.

"This category exists because historically in public education children coming from financial poverty don't achieve to the same levels as those who aren't coming from homes of poverty," Ermold said. "It's a group at risk of not performing."

When evaluating schools, the Economically Disadvantaged students as well as other subgroups may be tracked.

While Ermold said she and her staff have been working to close this performance gap for a number of years, the hard numbers seen in the school's proficiency scores from the last two years tell the story.

In the 2007-08 school year, students categorized in the Economically Disadvantaged subcategory at Sterling scored 78 percent proficient in reading, 78 percent in writing and 79 percent in math.

By comparison, the school as a whole performed five to six percentage points more proficient for each of those categories that year.

In the 2008-09 school year, the Economically Disadvantaged group scored 90 percent proficient in both reading and math and 85 percent proficient in writing.

Not only did the subgroup make bounds from the previous year, but for both reading and math, their proficiency scores were higher than those for the school as a whole, which had also each seen improvements of one to six percentage points.

Over the last few years, Ermold said her staff has been funneling federal Title I money the school receives toward areas of need.

While the school is allotted Title I funding based on the number of students who qualify for its aid, such as the Economically Disadvantaged, Ermold said the way it's used has some flexibility.

"In our school it doesn't matter what subgroup the students are in," she said. "Our school has worked diligently to break down barriers to service. It doesn't matter if it's special education, Title I, none of that matters."

Ermold said the staff is responsive to the individual needs of the students.

"At Sterling we're not breaking kids down, we're not sorting them out, it's about what the student's needs are and how can we meet their needs," she said.

This means students who start to show signs they might be slipping can get the extra attention they need, Ermold explained. It also means that students who need enrichment can do that.

Along with working with students on an individualized basis, Ermold said teachers are collaborating and working together through co-teaching.

"In the co-teaching model, teachers are working together so students can receive more focused and individual support so students have the wisdom and practice of multiple teachers in the classroom," she said.

Ermold said she and some of her staff will share their techniques in January when they're recognized for their achievement first at a state Title I conference in Anchorage, and later at a national conference in Washington, D.C.

She said the events will also offer a chance to meet and work with other educators.

"We have the opportunity to send staff members to these conferences and learn more from our colleagues on how to further improve," she said.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com