October 4, 2005

CUSD’s Marshall Lane Elementary named Blue Ribbon School

One of only 34 public schools given this honor

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell recently congratulated 34 public schools and seven private schools in California that were named 2005 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)—Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

One of the schools chosen for the elite honor was Marshall Lane Elementary School, which is one of the Campbell Union School District’s schools.

“The credit goes to the Marshall Lane students and to the people who teach them and support them every day,” said District Superintendent Johanna VanderMolen. “The benchmarks for this award have been elevated, relying heavily on state test scores, so only the top achievers can attain it. We are proud to be in the class of top achieving schools.”

NCLB—Blue Ribbon Schools is a national recognition program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The 22-year-old program encourages states to nominate public kindergarten through grade 12 schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Private schools are nominated by the Council on American Public Education.

“I want to thank students, parents, teachers and administrators for all their hard work in helping these schools achieve the level of excellence that is duly recognized by this national honor,” said O’Connell. “That means our efforts to increase rigor in all California schools are working. Our data show six years of widespread gains in nearly every subject and grade level on our statewide annual tests.”

Today’s selection is the third cycle of the redesigned program. Changes were made to reflect new priorities under the federal NCLB legislation. Schools must now fit one of the two categories:

1. Mandatory Category: Have a student body comprised of a least 40 percent disadvantaged students and show dramatic improvement; and students are performing at or above the 60th percentile in reading and math; or

2. Optional Category: Be among the top 10 percent of the schools in the state with students scoring at or above the 90th percentile in the highest grade tested in reading and math. Schools were selected based on growth over a three-year period.

All the schools met the federal 2005 Adequate Yearly Progress criteria. All public schools were either California Distinguished Schools or, at minimum, met the qualifications required to apply for that state awards program.

O’Connell nominated the schools last November for the federal recognition program. The schools went through a rigorous application process. The weight of the criteria rested overwhelmingly on test scores on growth and achievement in reading and math over three years, including those for significant subgroups.

The winners will be honored Nov. 10-11, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.