L.A. Unified Achieves Quality in Quantity

An unprecedented 32 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District were recognized as 2006 California Distinguished Schools on Tuesday, almost triple the district’s record number in 2004.

Twenty-five are Title I schools, which receive federal assistance and enroll students living below poverty levels.

“To have 32 Distinguished Schools in this district is a real milestone,” Los Angeles Schools Supt. Roy Romer said at a news conference. “This is just another sign of the increasing excellence of this district. We’re on the way up.”

State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced that 377 public elementary schools from 190 districts had earned the distinction, the largest number of elementary school awardees in the 21-year history of the California School Recognition Program.

“These schools are the best of the best,” O’Connell said. “They share a vision of excellence and they have brought that vision to life.”

About 5% of California’s public schools are selected each year from a pool of campuses that apply for the distinction. Applications have risen from 650 for the 2000 awards to 997 for those in 2006.

The program alternates each year in recognizing elementary and secondary schools. Honorees keep the title for four years. Schools seek the award for the honor; no additional funding is involved.

Last year, six L.A. Unified middle and high schools won the award. In 2004, the district had 12 distinguished elementary schools.

When Romer became superintendent six years ago, he urged the district to revamp elementary instruction, focusing on reading and math.

Test scores have risen on those campuses, but secondary schools have not made the same gains.

L.A. Unified spokeswoman Stephanie Brady said the district did not push elementary schools to apply for Distinguished School recognition, but left the decision up to each campus.

Though exact numbers were unavailable, program officials said that based on the increased number of applications generally and the high number of L.A. Unified schools that were honored, it seemed likely that more Los Angeles schools applied than in the past.

To qualify as a Distinguished School, campuses must meet certain test score requirements based on their Academic Performance Index -- a score issued to all California public schools that is based on standardized test scores.

Campuses with API scores between 731 and 799 must either meet or exceed growth target scores, and significant subgroups such as special education students must achieve 80% of that growth. Most schools with scores of 800 or above automatically qualify.

Fifteen of L.A. Unified’s 2006 Distinguished Schools achieved the state API goal of 800 or higher.

Teams of local educators from across the state, under the direction of the state Department of Education, also consider more qualitative factors such as visionary and collaborative school leadership, strong core curriculum, strong professional development for teachers and family involvement.

Two evaluators score an application based on those factors using a scale of one to four for each factor.

“We calibrate them and help them identify driving criteria on each theme so it ends up pretty standardized as we read across applications,” said Mary Gomes, a consultant for the California School Recognition Program.

Romer attributed the district’s Distinguished School achievement not only to good management by school administrators and active participation by teachers, parents and students, but also to the district’s drive to bring “discipline and rigor in math and in science.”

School board members heralded Multnomah Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, where they held a news conference, for exemplifying characteristics of a Distinguished School.

Since 1999, Multnomah’s API score has risen from 616 to 747, a growth rate just above the California average of 126 for that time period.

Principal Beth Bythrow credited the school’s academic improvement to regular internal reviews of test score data and structured teacher training.

At Chapman Elementary in Gardena, a Title I and 2006 Distinguished School, Principal Jan Hite said one of Chapman’s greatest strengths was community involvement, a factor in Distinguished School recognition.

In addition to generations of families having attended Chapman, Gardena’s mayor has participated in the school’s literacy night, and the local librarian serves on Chapman’s library committee, she said.

School district officials at Multnomah saved their greatest praise for the students, who couldn’t hide their affection for the school.

“We’ve been working really, really hard,” said student council member Eva Hu, a fifth-grader with a knack for geometry. “We’ve gotten a lot of honors since we first entered this school and winning this, I was sort of crying on the stage.”

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The 32 honorees

2006 California Distinguished Schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District

* Bryson Avenue Elementary, South Gate

* Cahuenga Elementary, Los Angeles

* Calabash Street Elementary, Woodland Hills

* Cantara Street Elementary, Reseda

* Carson Street Elementary, Carson

* Castlebay Lane Elementary, Northridge

* Chapman Elementary, Gardena

* Colfax Avenue Elementary, North Hollywood

* El Oro Way Elementary, Granada Hills

* Garden Grove Elementary, Reseda

* Garvanza Elementary, Los Angeles

* Granada Elementary, Granada Hills

* John B. Monlux Elementary/Monlux Math Science Technology Center magnet, North Hollywood

* Knollwood Elementary, Granada Hills

* Lockhurst Drive Elementary, Woodland Hills

* Sven Lokrantz School, Reseda

* Lorne Street Elementary/Lorne Math-Science Magnet, Northridge

* Montague Street Charter, Pacoima

* Mountain View Elementary, Tujunga

* Multnomah Street Elementary, Los Angeles

* Nestle Avenue Elementary, Tarzana

* Nueva Vista Elementary/Visual/Performing Arts magnet, Bell

* Pacific Palisades Elementary Charter, Pacific Palisades

* Pomelo Drive Elementary, Canoga Park

* Reseda Elementary, Reseda

* Robert Hill Lane Elementary, Monterey Park

* Seventh Street School, San Pedro

* Solano Avenue School, Los Angeles

* Sophia T. Salvin Special Education Center, Los Angeles

* Vanalden Avenue Elementary, Reseda

* Vintage Math, Science and Technology Magnet School, North Hills

* Wilton Place Elementary, Los Angeles

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O.C. Distinguished Schools

2006 California Distinguished Schools in Orange County.

Anaheim City

School District

James M. Guinn Elementary

Brea-Olinda Unified

Olinda Elementary

Buena Park School District

Arthur F. Corey Elementary

Gordon H. Beatty Elementary

Capistrano Unified

Canyon Vista Elementary

Castille Elementary

Laguna Niguel Elementary

Tijeras Creek Elementary

Truman Benedict Elementary

Centralia Elementary

G.B. Miller Elementary

Cypress Elementary

Margaret Landell Elementary

Fullerton Elementary

Beechwood School

Rolling Hills School

Garden Grove Unified

John Marshall Elementary

Rosita Elementary

Huntington Beach City

Agnes L. Smith Elementary

Irvine Unified

Bonita Canyon Elementary

College Park Elementary

Deerfield Elementary

Los Alamitos Unified

Jack L. Weaver Elementary

Newport-Mesa Unified

California Elementary

Lincoln Elementary

Mariners Elementary

Victoria Elementary

Ocean View

Circle View School

Golden View School

Star View School

Orange Unified

McPherson Magnet Elementary

Running Springs Elementary

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified

Bryant Ranch Elementary

Fairmont Elementary

Golden Elementary

Linda Vista Elementary

Morse Elementary

Sierra Vista Elementary

Travis Ranch School

Santa Ana Unified

Carl Harvey Elementary

Thorpe Fundamental Elementary

Tustin Unified

Arroyo Elementary

Jeane Thorman Elementary

Ladera Elementary

Myford Elementary

Tustin Memorial Academy

Westminster

C. Fred Schroeder School

Cecil B. DeMille Elementary

Los Angeles Times

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Inland Empire Distinguished Schools

2006 California Distinguished Schools in Riverside and

San Bernardino counties

Riverside County

Alvord Unified School District

Collett Elementary

Corona-Norco Unified

Corona Ranch Elementary

Desert Sands Unified

Lincoln Elementary

Truman Elementary

Hemet Unified

Bautista Creek Elementary

Lake Elsinore Unified

Luiseno Elementary

Menifee Union

Ridgemoor Elementary

Murrieta Valley Unified

Cole Canyon Elementary

E. Hale Curran Elementary

Riverside Unified

Franklin Elementary

Harrison Elementary

Highland Elementary

Jackson Elementary

Kennedy Elementary

Liberty Elementary

Rivera Elementary

Temecula Valley Unified

Vail Elementary

Val Verde Unified

Victoriano Elementary

San Bernardino County

Alta Loma Elementary

Deer Canyon Elementary

Jasper Elementary

Central

Central Elementary

Chino Valley Unified

Country Springs Elementary

Colton Joint Unified

Reche Canyon Elementary

Fontana Unified

Canyon Crest Elementary

Hemlock Elementary

Mango Elementary

Shadow Hills Elementary

Sierra Lakes Elementary

Mountain View

Creek View Elementary

Redlands Unified

Franklin Elementary

Mentone Elementary

Rialto Unified

Winn A. Myers Elementary

Upland Unified

Baldy View Elementary

Victor Elementary

Brentwood Elementary

Lomitas Elementary

Academy Elementary

Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified

Calimesa Elementary