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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today named 461 California schools as recipients of the 2006-07 Title I Academic Achievement Award. For a complete list, please visit 2006-07 Academic Achievement Award Recipients - Academic Achievement Awards.

"This award is an impressive recognition for schools that have worked hard to improve the academic achievement of their students," O'Connell said. "All of these schools serve students from low-income areas. In previous years, many of them had been designated as schools in need of improvement. I am pleased to see an increase of 151 schools receiving this honor compared to last year when 310 schools received this award."

Of the 461 schools, one (Martha Baldwin Elementary School in Alhambra) has received the Title I Academic Achievement Award for the sixth consecutive year; 13 schools have met the criteria for five consecutive years; 23 schools for four consecutive years; 44 for three consecutive years; and 82 for two consecutive years.

"Despite the challenges these schools face, the high number of award winners this year demonstrates that hard work by teachers and administrators is paying off with higher achievement levels and a brighter future for our students," O'Connell said.

Two schools among the 461 state awardees received a National Title I Distinguished School Award in January 2007 during the National Title I Conference in Long Beach: Manchester GATE School in the Fresno Unified School District, and KIPP Adelante Preparatory Charter School in the San Diego Unified School District. Manchester GATE School had the greatest percentage of students at or above the proficient level for AYP in reading/language arts and mathematics. KIPP Adelante Preparatory School made the most progress in closing the achievement gap among numerically significant subgroups in the school.

Each school designated as a Title I Achieving School receives Title I funding, which is a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Title I is the largest federally funded program in the country and is designed to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. There are nearly 6,000 Title I schools in California.

The Title I Academic Achievement Awards Program recognizes schools that are demonstrating success in ensuring 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. In addition, the awardees provide support and serve as models for other schools, especially other Title I schools that have been identified for Program Improvement.

The criteria to qualify for the award have become more rigorous each year. Additionally, Title I schools must demonstrate the achievement level of twice the schoolwide Academic Performance Index (API) growth target and twice the API growth target for the socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroup for two consecutive years. Schools also must have made Adequately Yearly Progress for two years in a row, and at least 40 percent of the enrolled students in each school must meet the poverty index.

 Each of these schools will receive recognition at an award ceremony planned in conjunction with California's Annual Title I Conference next month. The conference is a premiere staff development opportunity for administrative and instructional educators serving Title I students and for parents of these students. It will be held at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa Hotel in Costa Mesa. The conference will feature a reception on April 16, 2007, for the honorees and supporters, and a banquet on April 17, 2007 during which schools will receive their awards.

For more information about the Title I Academic Achievement Awards, please visit Academic Achievement Awards - School/Teacher Recognition.