Three Chula Vista Schools Earn Distinguished Honor

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced that 484 exemplary California public elementary schools were selected as 2010 California Distinguished Schools.

“It is an honor to recognize the schools, and the students, parents, teachers, and administrators who helped earn this most prestigious distinction,” said O’Connell. “The 2010 California Distinguished Schools have been selected because of their academic excellence and for narrowing achievement gaps. These schools have persevered despite state budget cutbacks that have cut deeply into the budgets of local school districts. I encourage educators throughout our state to review the signature practices that Distinguished Schools are using to improve student achievement.”

Three CVESD schools made the list: Chula Vista Learning Community Charter, Harborside, and Silver Wing.   Schools earning the Distinguished School title agree to share their signature practices with other schools and serve as a mentor to other educators who want to replicate the work. An updated searchable database of these signature practices will be available later this spring by the California Department of Education.

“I had the privilege to call all the winning schools and personally shared the good news with each principal,” O’Connell said. “These dedicated educators I spoke to clearly share a school-wide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance.”

The California School Recognition Program is now in its 24th year and honors the state’s most exemplary and inspiring public schools with the California Distinguished School Award.

“This award recognizes the commitment, effort and conviction that our teachers have in ensuring all of our students are provided the educational opportunities they deserve,” said Silver Wing Principal Alex Cortes. “Our school was a program improvement school, and now we are a distinguished school. This did not occur by accident, but through focused instruction and a belief that every single one of our students can and will learn. …The community and parent support and belief in what we are doing has been a critical factor in making sure our school continues to make the necessary academic strides.”

Schools were identified for eligibility on the basis of their Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progress results, which are the state and federal accountability models, respectively. The applicants were also identified by their success in narrowing the achievement gap that exists between higher-performing and lower-performing students.

“Achieving this honor is a testament to the dedication, perseverance, and determination that our team has had in ensuring all children receive a world class education,” said Harborside Principal Matthew Tessier.

–Information courtesy of the California Department of Education

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Posted by Eastlaketimes on Jul 25 2010. Filed under Community of Eastlake, Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry