Signal Hill Elementary is among the 238 California schools that have been selected for the 2009-10 Title I Academic Achievement Award, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced last week.
“These award recipients prove that with hard work and high expectations, students can overcome challenges and achieve academic success,” said O’Connell. “By working together, administrators, teachers, staff, students, and parents have raised student achievement and narrowed the achievement gap. I congratulate these schools and everyone who worked hard to make them deserving of this significant award.”
The Title I Academic Achievement Award is given only to schools receiving federal Title1 funds as authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Title I is the single largest federal educational program for K—12 public education. Title 1 funds assist schools in meeting the educational needs of students living near or at the poverty level. Of the more than 9,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program.
The criteria to qualify for the Title 1 Academic Achievement Award have become more rigorous in recent years. To meet the criteria for this distinction, the school must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California’s academic content standards. Additionally, the school’s socio-economically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years.
The 2009-10 awardees will be honored at a reception and banquet at the Disneyland Hotel on April 21.
International Elementary School in Long Beach was also selected for the award.
