November 2, 2005
State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Nominates
35 California Schools for National Honor
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the nomination of 35 California public schools for the 2006 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)—Blue Ribbon Schools Program offered through the United States Department of Education. For the list of nominees, please visit 2006 Award Winning Schools - Blue Ribbon Schools.
"I am continually impressed by the hard work of the students, their parents, teachers, and schools to help these kids succeed," said O'Connell. "This just shows that our push toward high standards is working and that we need to stay vigilant in order for all students to succeed in life and in their future careers. Congratulations to all involved."
Schools nominated by states for the NCLB—Blue Ribbon Schools Program show dramatic growth and high achievement. At least one-third of them must have a student body comprised of 40 percent or more disadvantaged young people. The winning schools are considered to be national models of excellence.
O'Connell nominated 35 schools, the maximum allowed. Schools were recruited in a set order as follows: The list of 2005 California Distinguished Schools was the first priority, followed by the 2005 Honorable Mention Schools, the 2004 Distinguished Schools, and the 2004 Honorable Mention Schools. These were followed by schools eligible to apply (but did not) for 2005 Distinguished Schools and schools eligible to apply (but did not) for 2004 Distinguished Schools.
All schools met the NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress criteria and the 2004 and 2005 schoolwide and subgroup Academic Performance Index growth targets. Student growth in English-language arts and mathematics, as measured by the California Standards Tests, placed schools in one of two categories, as required by the U.S. Department of Education:
- For schools with at least 40 percent disadvantaged students, the percentage scoring at or above the proficient level ranked the school at or above the 60th percentile when compared to other schools in the state; or
- For all other schools, the percentage scoring at or above the proficient level ranked the school at or above the 90th percentile when compared to other schools in the state.
Nominated schools have shown increases in student proficiency in the highest grade tested in the years 2003 through 2005 in both English-language arts and mathematics. The only exceptions were schools at high levels of achievement. Eligible schools were selected in order of schoolwide Academic Performance Index growth over these years.
The NCLB—Blue Ribbon Schools Program is open to both public and private schools. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.
When a school is nominated, it receives an invitation from the U.S. Department of Education to apply for the NCLB—Blue Ribbon Program. The application consists largely of achievement data and is due at the U.S. Department of Education in February. Schools that meet the criteria and the 2005 Adequate Yearly Progress and schoolwide Academic Performance Index targets will be named Blue Ribbon Schools next September by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The schools will then be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Each state is designated a number of schools it can nominate based on the number of schools and students in each state. California, with more than six million students and more than 10,000 public schools, is entitled to nominate 35 schools. Because there is no limit to how many of the nominees can be selected under the Program, it is possible for all 35 nominees to be named Blue Ribbon schools.
