San Diego schools honored by DOE
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A half-dozen schools that receive federal financial assistance for low-income students in San Diego County were honored Monday by the state Department of Education for academic achievements.
The honored schools are Lilian J. Rice Elementary in Chula Vista, Ocean Knoll Elementary in Encinitas and Vallecitos Elementary in Vallecitos, along with a trio from San Diego Unified – Barnard and Sherman elementaries and Health Sciences High.
They were among 106 schools named by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
“I am proud of what these schools have accomplished under often challenging circumstances,” Torlakson said. “Their administrators and teachers are committed to giving their students every opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills that will help them in school and throughout their lives.”
The awards are given to schools receiving federal Title I funds as authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Title I, the single largest federal educational program for K-12 public education, assists schools in meeting the needs of students living at or below the poverty line.
According to the state Department of Education, more than 60% of the 10,000 or so schools in California participate in the Title I program.
The schools receiving the honors need to demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on state academic standards. Also, the school’s disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years.
