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Hillcrest Selected as a 2008 California Distinguished School
The California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell, today announced that Hillcrest K-8 School has been selected as a 2008 California Distinguished School. Hillcrest K-8 School is among 343 exemplary schools selected out of 839 applicants and over 9,000 schools statewide. Since last September, Hillcrest K-8 School has undergone an extensive process to receive this award, completing an exhaustive application and evaluation process.
Below is a quote from our Principal Beverly Rothenberg:
"We are very grateful that Hillcrest K-8 School was given the the designation of California Distinguished School today. This is the culmination of a community effort including parents, students, teachers and staff. The site validation committee that visited our school commented repeatedly on the benefits that both older and younger students receive from the interactions of 5th to 8th grade students with students in kindergarten to 4th grade and how this has nurtured a successful learning environment for all of the students."
PTA President Shannon Broome adds:
"Principal Beverly Rothenberg and the amazing Hilllcrest staff deserve tremendous credit for working to achieve distinguished school status in a year during which Superintendent O'Connell says the criteria for qualifying for this honor were 'more stringent than ever.' The ability of our school community to work together to achieve academic excellence while also reaching out to other schools in Oakland through our community service program and overcoming our own learning and space challenges is something of which I am very proud. Hillcrest's K-8 structure helps retain students in OUSD through high school, with many Hillcrest graduates proceeding to Oakland Tech. We are happy to be in the company of two other excellent OUSD schools — Lincoln and Think College Now — in receiving this award and in being able to support public education in Oakland overall."
To see the California Department of Education press release, please click on the following link: http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr08/yr08rel45.asp.
A full copy of OUSD's press release is provided below:
Oakland Unified School District Press Advisory For Immediate Release
A Trio of Oakland Unified Schools Achieve "Distinguished Schools" Status
Hillcrest, Lincoln and Think College Now Elementary recognized as three of California's finest schools
Oakland – April 9, 2008 – Three Oakland Unified schools, Hillcrest, Lincoln and Think College Now, received one of the state's most prestigious education honors today. The trio of elementary schools earned the 2008 California Distinguished School Award, given to "the state's most exemplary and inspiring schools". Hillcrest, Lincoln and Think College Now share the honor with just 340 of the state's more than five thousand elementary schools, and prevailed in a year where the selection criteria was, according to the California Department of Education, "more stringent than ever".
The 343 Distinguished Schools hail from 189 districts in 39 counties and represent a cross-section of California's student population. In announcing the selections, State Superintendent of Instruction Jack O'Connell noted that many of the schools serve substantial numbers of low-income students or "Title I" students, a group which includes Lincoln and Think College Now.
"Most heartening, many of the schools we are recognizing today as the 'best of the best' have overcome significant educational challenges, showing that it is possible to provide opportunities for success to all students," O'Connell explained.
In order to qualify for the award, candidate schools, which were identified by high performance on the state's academic performance metrics, submitted a detailed narrative application and earned high marks on an extensive site review by selection committee officials. The winners will be honored during an awards ceremony at Anaheim's Disneyland Hotel on May 16.
"We are very grateful that Hillcrest K-8 School was given the designation of California Distinguished School today," said Hillcrest Principal Beverly Rothenberg. "This is the culmination of a community effort including parents, students, teachers and staff. The site validation committee that visited our school commented repeatedly on the benefits that both older and younger students receive from the interactions of 5th to 8th grade students with students in Kindergarten to 4th grade and how this has nurtured a successful learning environment for all of the students."
This year, 300 (87.4 percent) of the award-winning schools serve populations high in minority student representation and 182 (53.1 percent) educate students who are learning English. Lincoln Elementary qualifies on both counts as the Chinatown school hosts more than 600 children. The majority of the student population speaks Cantonese, Mandarin or a language other than English at home and nearly 90 percent of the student body qualifies for free or reduced lunches.
"Lincoln's academic success is due to many factors: high family and student commitment to education; professional quality of the staff; and a focus on instruction with high expectations of everyone," said Lincoln Elementary Principal Caroline Yee. "Underlying all of our efforts is the enormous amount of trust that parents place in the staff to teach their children. Lincoln School takes seriously its responsibility to leave no child behind. The results bring pride to the staff, the students, their families and the community."
The California School Recognition Program is now in its 23rd year and recognizes elementary and secondary schools with the California Distinguished Schools Award in alternate years. This year, 839 elementary schools submitted applications and were identified for eligibility on the basis of their Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results, metrics the state and federal government use to assess academic achievement.
"We are humbled to be included with the other Distinguished Schools and see this honor as validating the hard work of our outstanding teachers, committed families, dedicated students and exceptional staff," said Think College Now Principal David Silver. "I'd put our staff up against any in the state and feel fortunate to have such a dedicated team focused on high expectations, standards-based assessments and data analysis as a way to help inform instruction and move us closer to our academic goals."
The complete list of Distinguished Schools may be viewed at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/. All applicants participated in a rigorous selection process conducted by the California Department of Education with the help of local educators from across the state and in partnership with the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association. The results reinforce the continued progress in Oakland Unified, California's most improved large school district over the past three years.
"Today's awards offer a ringing tribute to the incredible work being done at Hillcrest, Lincoln and Think College Now, and also affirm the idea that diligent application of proven instructional methods can produce sterling results for all children," explained OUSD State Administrator Vincent Matthews. "We salute Oakland Unified's distinguished schools for the invaluable service they provide our students and community as well as the example they set for schools across the state."