Four GGUSD schools honored

       Four Garden Grove Unified School District schools have been named 2012 recipients of the prestigious California Distinguished School award. The district honorees ― Cook, Excelsior, Stanford and Sunnyside elementary schools ― received the good news Thursday from Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction.

          The four GGUSD schools are among 42 elementary schools in Orange County and 387 statewide chosen due to overall excellence, performance on state and federal accountability measures, and documented progress in narrowing achievement gaps among key student groups.

          Schools invited to submit applications this year underwent a rigorous review process conducted by state and county education officials. Those schools judged to be exemplary were visited by independent teams to validate information provided in their applications, including first-hand scrutiny of two successful signature practices identified by the school.

          All selected schools also must meet identified benchmarks of the Academic Performance Index (API), a composite measure of state test scores ranging from 400 to 1000, with 800 being the state target. For Distinguished School eligibility, elementary schools must satisfy all API improvement targets and have an overall 2011 growth API of 832 or better.

          Cook School recorded a 2011 API of 881, a 115-point increase from 2007, although 57 percent of its students are English learners and 72 percent qualify for subsidized school meals. The API at Excelsior School has exceeded 800 since 2003 and reached an all-time high 883 in 2011, an increase of 27 points from the previous year. Sixty-six percent of its students are eligible for subsidized school meals and 79 percent are classified as English learners.

          At Stanford School, its API reached 859 in 2011, a jump of 74 points in six years. The school’s API surpassed the state target of 800 in 2008 with an API that year of 816. At Stanford School, 50 percent of the students are eligible for subsidized meals and 72 percent are English learners.

          Sunnyside School’s API reached 908 in 2011, placing it among the top 10 percent of all California elementary schools. Its API has grown by 115 points since 2005. At Sunnyside School, 56 percent of the students are eligible for subsidized meals and 65 percent are English learners.

          Distinguished Schools represent approximately 10 percent of California’s public elementary schools. As 2012 winners, each school receives a plaque, flag, and state recognition.

          2012 California Distinguished Schools will be honored at one of six regional awards programs in May. Ceremonies honoring the schools from Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties will take place May 4.

          California elementary and secondary schools are selected on alternate years for distinguished school honors.

          Log on to the http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/ for the full listing of 2012 California Distinguished Schools.