JEFFERSONVILLE — Students, teachers, administrators and community leaders gathered Friday morning to celebrate Thomas Jefferson Elementary School being named a Four Star school by the Indiana Department of Education.

In order to receive the four star ranking, a school must be among the top 25 percent in its combined math and English scores on its annual ISTEP test.

Charles King, former principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary who is working at Greater Clark County Schools Central Administration Building, recounted when he was named principal of the school five years ago, saying “this is the best kept secret in Greater Clark.”

“Well the secret’s out ... it’s a four star school, so congratulations,” said Ed Zastawny, Jeffersonville city councilman and parent of a Thomas Jefferson student, later in the ceremony.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary is one of the 162 schools that received the honor out of 1,780 that were eligible in Indiana. The test scores are the combined math and English results of the school’s third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Principal Jennifer Korfhage said the effort to get the students prepared to take the test for the first time in third grade begins much earlier.

“They’ve worked since kindergarten for this,” she said. “Even those that aren’t in the ISTEP age, they’re still working toward that goal.”

She added that although the test is important, the school still maintains its focus more on developing a well-rounded learner.

“It really is a way to mark their success,” Korfhage said of the four-star achievement.

King added that Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills — DIBELS — tests and Acuity tests begin to show educators at an early age areas where the students excel, need to improve and help to provide feedback for the upper grades. Teachers can then address those subject areas to improve the students achievement level and improve their overall education.

“Sometimes you get a class ... that far exceeds your expectations,” he said. “That’s what we’ve had two out of the last three years.”

It is not the first time the school has received the state honor, as it earned the distinction during its 1990-91 school year.

A host of speakers stressed to the students the importance of their achievement.

“Education is a door to opportunity and this is the first step for you to realize how far you can go in reaching your dreams,” Zastawny said.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore also encouraged the students and told them to continue to set goals and work to improve themselves.

“Don’t underestimate what you’ve achieved here,” he said.

Some of the students chosen to speak said they realized they achieved something notable.

“Being a TJ Tiger is not anything ordinary; we’re a four star school and not many schools can say that,” said fifth-grade student Celesta Long. “We’re not just students, we’re leaders.”

King applauded the effort that started with training administrators, principals and teachers to raise the standard of the school. He said the staff at Thomas Jefferson Elementary modified the way they were planning lessons and delved deeper into subjects, which helped the school to reach its four star ranking.

“There’s more than one way to answer a problem and you have to explore all of those,” he said.

“I am so proud of this staff,” King said, adding the effort extends to the parents and administrators involved in the school. “Everybody realizes the importance of school work and we don’t let up on that.”

With the achievement reached this year, Korfhage said the school will continue to celebrate and prepare the next crop of students to take the test.

“The kids now, I think, see what they can do and they’re eager to continue that success,” she said.

Fourth-grader Taylor Veach offered another insightful summation from a student.

“Schools are supposed to teach you things you never imagined, and this is a school where you want to be,” she said.