Elizabeth Larson – Record-Bee staff
MIDDLETOWN On Tuesday, Middletown Unified School District Superintendent Don Martin announced that Cobb Mountain Elementary School was named a California Distinguished School.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O Connell reported on Tuesday that the record 377 schools included among 2006 s Distinguished Schools were chosen from 190 school districts in 40 counties, and represent the largest number of elementary school award winners in the 21-year history of the California School Recognition Program.
That record number of selected schools, O Connell added, were selected from the largest number of eligible elementary schools to date.
Cobb Mountain Elementary has been a standout school locally. The K-6 school, headed by Principal Tracy Skeen, earned a score of 857 on the Academic Performance Index (API), which was released last month placing it at the head of the class for county elementary schools.
Cobb Mountain Elementary s achievement marks the first time in three years that a local school has made the list. In 2003 Middletown High School was honored among state secondary schools; in 2001 Middletown Middle School received the honor (for a full list of local Distinguished Schools, see At a glance below).
These schools are the best of the best. They share a vision of excellence and they have brought that vision to life, said O Connell. These deserving school leaders and their teachers, staffs, and students have worked extremely hard to achieve academic success and this recognition.
The California School Recognition Program was created in 1985 to publicize and reinforce the priorities of the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The program identifies and honors some of the state s most exemplary and inspiring public schools with the California Distinguished School Award.
Approximately 5 percent of California s public schools are selected each year, and no fewer than 40 counties are typically represented.
Elementary and secondary schools are recognized during alternate years. Of the more than 5,000 elementary schools in the state, 2,043 were eligible to apply for the Distinguished School honor based upon their API and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results.
The 997 schools that filed applications this year underwent a rigorous selection process conducted by the California Department of Education in partnership with the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, and with the help of many local educators from across the state.
In neighboring counties, Potter Valley Elementary in Mendocino County made the list, along with two schools in Napa County and nine in Sonoma.
An awards ceremony is scheduled for May 26 at the Disneyland Hotel & Convention Center in Anaheim.
Contact Elizabeth Larson at elarson@record-bee.com.
At a glance
Local Distinguished School Award winners
1986 Gard Street Elementary.
1992 Middletown Middle School; Middletown High School.
1994 Middletown Middle School.
1996 Kelseyville High School.
1997 Riviera Elementary; Lucerne Elementary.
2001 Middletown Middle School.
2003 Middletown High School.
2006 Cobb Mountain Elementary.
