A first for Fourth Street
Fourth Street Elementary School has a new logo on its letterhead: California Distinguished School.
“It meant so much to us. . . . I wanted to put it on there right away,” said Principal Marguerite A. Murphy.
The honor was announced Wednesday by the California Department of Education, which weighed factors including state and federal test scores and narratives written by school administrators. Three hundred forty-two elementary schools were named distinguished campuses, including 24 from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
It was the first year that Fourth Street, in East Los Angeles, was designated a distinguished school.
In 2006, the last year the state honored elementary schools, 32 L.A. Unified schools were named distinguished campuses.
The award was particularly meaningful for Fourth Street because of its impressive test score gains. In 2003, the school scored 658 on the state Academic Performance Index, which measures schools and districts on student test scores in math, English and other subjects. Fourth Street scored 762 on the latest API.
Several factors contributed to the increase, Murphy said, including weekly teacher meetings instituted about five years ago to review test scores and data to refine teaching methods.
“It helps us see the big picture,” said Teresa Ruiz, a fourth-grade teacher.
Most of Fourth Street’s 721 students are Latino, with more than 90% of the students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. The school has partnerships with local businesses to provide furniture, beds and reading glasses to students and their families.
As news of Fourth Street’s award spread Wednesday, flowers started to arrive in the main office. But most of the students seemed oblivious to the honor until Murphy told them.
“Do you know why [I’m] here?” she asked a fifth-grade classroom.
No, the students said in chorus.
She told them that the school was a distinguished campus. “We did it because of your test scores,” she said. “Give yourself a hand.”
“Yay!” the students shouted before applauding.
--
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
