9 County Schools on ‘Distinguished’ List

SAN JOSE, CA – Nine Santa Clara County schools were among the 261 public middle and high schools selected as 2009 California Distinguished Schools, announced Wednesday by the California Department of Education.

The schools and their districts:

KIPP Heartwood Academy, Alum Rock Union; Sierramont Middle, Berryessa Union; Joaquin Miller Middle, Cupertino Union; Homestead High, Fremont Union High; Gilroy High, Gilroy Unified; Egan Junior High, Los Altos Elementary; Saratoga High, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union; Lincoln High, San Jose Unified; and Union Middle, Union.

According to the CDE, the selection process required schools to provide an in-depth description of two “signature” practices implemented at the schools that are replicable, and directly related to the success of their students. During a site visit by a team of external educators, additional evidence about the effectiveness of the “signature” practices was gathered and analyzed.

Information about these successful signature practices will be shared through the CDE Web site and other venues.

The selected middle and high schools represent about 11 percent of California’s nearly 2,400 middle and high schools. Of those, only 341 schools met the eligibility criteria based on their student achievement and were chosen from 170 school districts in 46 counties. An awards ceremony honoring the Distinguished Schools will be held May 29 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

For more information about the California School Recognition Program, including a list of all the honored schools, visit www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/.

Date last updated: April 3, 2009