SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today named 239 California schools as 2007-08 Title I Academic Achievement Award winners. They represent 113 school districts in 33 counties. For the list of winners, please visit 2007-08 Academic Achievement Award Recipients - Academic Achievement Awards.

"These outstanding schools have shown that with hard work and tight focus, the challenges of poverty, language, and socioeconomic background can be overcome," said O'Connell. "They have created high-quality, active learning environments where the achievement gap is closing and where all students are reaching the expectations of our state's rigorous standards. In these schools, teachers and administrators work together to ensure that all students are progressing and moving toward graduation that will lead to more productive, successful lives. I am very proud of these schools, their accomplishments, and am pleased to honor them as Academic Achieving Schools."

Two schools among the 239 state awardees were identified for the National Title I Distinguished School Award. West Campus High School in Sacramento City Unified School District had the greatest percentage of students scoring at or above the proficient level in the federal accountability model, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), in mathematics and English-language arts. Also, Monarch Academy in the Oakland Unified School District made the most progress as measured by the state accountability model, the Academic Performance Index (API).

This awards program recognizes only schools receiving federal Title I funds for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. The schools must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic content standards. These standards define the knowledge, concepts, and skills students are expected to acquire at each grade level.

The criteria to qualify for the award have become more rigorous each year. Title I schools must demonstrate the achievement level of twice the schoolwide API growth target, meet all significant subgroup targets, and achieve twice the API growth target for the socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroup for two consecutive years. Schools also must have made AYP for two years in a row, and at least 40 percent of the enrolled students in each school must meet the poverty index.

Title I is a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and is the largest federally funded program in the country. It is designed to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. Of more than 9,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them are Title I schools.

The 239 awardees will receive recognition at an award ceremony planned in conjunction with California's Annual Title I Conference scheduled for April 21-22, 2008 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. The conference is a premiere staff development opportunity for administrative and instructional educators serving Title I students and for parents of these students. For more information on the Title I Academic Achievement Awards program, please visit Academic Achievement Awards - School/Teacher Recognition.