The Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the national school recognition program
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, and the Gold Star Schools
Program, the state school recognition program sponsored by the Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education were both revised in 2002. The U.S. Department
of Education replaced its Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which has
recognized outstanding schools in the nation since 1982-83, with the
No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The Gold
Star Schools Program, which has been closely aligned with the Blue
Ribbon Schools Program since its inception, was modified to remain
parallel with the No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
Both programs will recognize and present as models highly successful
schools that meet one of two assessment criteria established by the U.S.
Department of Education:
-
The
school must be dramatically improving and have forty percent or more
of its students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Such schools must show dramatic
improvement over the past three years in reading and mathematics to
high levels (at or above the 60th percentile) on state assessments
(i.e., the MAP in Missouri). At least one-third of the nominees
must be from this category.
-
The school
must be performing in the top ten percent of all schools on state
assessments (i.e., the MAP in Missouri in reading and mathematics.
Schools may be nominated in this category regardless of their
demographics. All schools must also meet adequate yearly progress requirements (AYP).
The U.S.
Department of Education allows Missouri to submit eight
schools as nominees for national recognition. As in the past
years, up to 15 schools may be selected as Gold Star Schools. The
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education follows the
tradition established by the original Blue Ribbon Schools Program of
recognizing elementary and secondary schools in alternating years.
The Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education uses the two
eligibility criteria to select the national nominees and to determine
the pool of schools that are eligible to apply for recognition in the
Gold Star Schools Program. MAP Index scores over the past three
years are examined to determine the school that met each criterion.
The names of the top three schools that meet the first criterion and the
top five schools that meet the second criterion are sent to the U.S.
Department of Education as Missouri's nominees.
The
Secretary of Education sends letters of invitation with applications
to the schools recommended by each state. The applications are completed by the schools and returned to the U.S. Department of
Education for review. The Secretary announces the No Child
Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools in September. A
ceremony honoring the schools is held in Washington, D.C., later in
the fall.
Similarly, a
group of schools (including the eight schools submitted to the U.S.
Department of Education) are identified by the Missouri Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education. All of the
identified schools are sent letters inviting them to apply to become Gold Star Schools. Those that wish to apply
are asked to complete an application similar to the one used in the
original Gold Star and Blue Ribbon Schools Programs. To be a
Gold Star School, a school will not only have to meet the
high performance standards established by the U.S. Department of
Education (see the eligibility criteria), it will also have to provide
evidence on its application that it meets criteria shown by research to
promote school effectiveness and best practice.
The Gold
Star Schools are honored at the Gold Star Schools Reception
held in May. Information about the schools is prepared by the
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and
disseminated via its web site.
The high
standards for recognition in the No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon
Schools Program and the Gold Star Schools Program should make the
programs successful in recognizing excellent schools and in calling
attention to schools that could serve as models for schools wanting to
improve.
For
additional information, please contact:
Mary Ann Burns, Director
School Improvement Initiatives
Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
P O Box 480
Jefferson
City, MO 65102
(573)
751-2332
MaryAnn.Burns@dese.mo.gov
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