SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the selection of 35 public schools as California nominees to the 2008 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The list of schools is attached.

"As we endeavor to close the achievement gap and prepare our students for the future, it is gratifying to acknowledge such important progress being made by hardworking educators and students throughout California," said O'Connell. "These schools have made great strides in ensuring their students are learning to their full potential."

NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools is a national recognition program of the U.S. Department of Education. The 24-year-old program encourages states to nominate public kindergarten through grade twelve schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.

Nominees must fit one of the following categories. The schools' student body must include 40 percent or more disadvantaged students whose level of proficiency places the school at the 60th percentile in English-language arts and mathematics in the highest grade tested when compared to other schools in the state. These schools show an "upward slope." All other schools must show a student proficiency level that places the school at the 90th percentile in English-language arts and mathematics in the highest grade tested when compared to other schools in the state.

Most of the schools nominated are 2007 California Distinguished Schools. Every school met the 2006 and 2007 (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and California Academic Performance Index (API) schoolwide and subgroup growth targets.

Nominated schools will submit an application to the U.S. Department of Education in February 2008. The weight of the review criteria will rest overwhelmingly on growth and achievement in English-language arts and mathematics over three years, including significant subgroups. The schools will need to meet 2008 AYP and API schoolwide and subgroup growth targets next fall. Those that meet these final targets will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2008.

Each state is designated a number of schools it can nominate. California, with more than six million students and more than 9,300 public schools, is entitled to nominate 35 schools. Because there is no limit to the number of nominees that can be selected under the program, it is possible for all 35 nominees to be named Blue Ribbon schools.

For more information on the NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools Program, visit the U.S. Department of Education's Web site at No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program [http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html] (Outside Source).

Attachment

2008 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Program Nominees