Vanderlyn Elementary School recognized as a top performer

Vanderlyn Elementary School was named one of the top performing schools in the state based on its math and reading test scores.

The Dunwoody elementary school was one of 13 schools in the state that showed the highest academic achievement in 2011, according to State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge.

The school's achievement was measured by student performance on the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests.

The Dunwoody school held a ceremony Thursday for the recognition.

Vanderlyn principal Noel Maloof said the achievement is the result of years of hard work by the teaching staff, which have focused on teaching reading and writing fundamentals to students - not test questions.

“I think with No Child Left Behind too many times we are focused on (testing),” Maloof said. “To me the focus is what we can do in the classroom.”

You have to put some faith in that … the real work is the teaching and the learning.”