National Blue Ribbon Schools Program
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- What are the benefits of being a Blue Ribbon school?
- How would I know if my school is eligible?
- How does my school apply?
- Do private schools qualify?
- Who do I contact in my state about the Blue Ribbon Schools Program?
- Once my school applies, what is the process and timeline for hearing whether we won?
- Where are the winning applications from previous years?
- What other resources are available for learning about Blue Ribbon Schools?
- What year should the data be?
- What if I have questions about state assessments for this application?
- Should I report other assessments?
- What should I say in responses to Part IV, Number 1 on the meaning of the school's assessment results?
- How do I report the school's state assessment results?
- What does "reporting data at the various levels cumulatively" mean?
- How many years of data should be given?
- What do I need to say about the school's arts program, physical education and foreign language program (grade 7 or higher)?
What are the benefits of being a Blue Ribbon school?
Blue Ribbon Schools are nationally recognized as some of America's most successful schools. The award acknowledges and validates the hard work of students, staff members, families, and communities in reaching high levels of student achievement. Moreover, Blue Ribbon Schools report a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment at their school. They may be sought out as mentors to others schools or may find that receiving grants and raising funds is a little easier. Communities often report that the award makes their neighborhood a more desirable place to live because parents want their children to attend a Blue Ribbon School—and real estate agents use the Blue Ribbon award as a selling point for those neighborhoods. Tangibly, each fall, all winning schools are invited to Washington, D.C. for a ceremony to celebrate their success, share information, and receive a plaque and flag to commemorate their achievement.
How would I know if my school is eligible?
Schools are eligible based on one of two criteria:
High Performing Schools: schools that are ranked among the state's highest performing schools as measured by performance on state assessments in both reading (English language arts) and mathematics or that score at the highest performance level on tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested.
Improving Schools: schools with at least 40 percent of their student population from disadvantaged backgrounds that have reduced the achievement gap by improving student performance to high levels in reading (English language arts) and mathematics or that score at the highest performance level on tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested.
Regardless of demographics, qualifying schools must not have been in school improvement status or been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years. Schools must also meet their state's adequate yearly progress requirement two year prior to nomination and also in the year they receive the award. Schools may not apply more than once within a five-year period.
Schools are nominated by their Chief State School Officer to the Blue Ribbon Schools program. The U.S. Department of Education determines how many schools may be nominated from each state based on number of K-12 students and the number of schools in each state. See http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2010/eligibility-quotas.pdf for the state quotas. One-third of the schools nominated by each state must have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Each fall, once schools are nominated by the state, they are invited by the Department to apply online for the award. The current Blue Ribbon Schools application can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/applicant.html.
Yes, private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). Additional information is on CAPE's website at http://www.capenet.org/brs.html.
Who do I contact in my state about the Blue Ribbon Schools Program?
Each state has a Blue Ribbon Schools state liaison. If you have questions about the program, or believe your school qualifies and would like to request that your state liaison consider your school for nomination, you can find their name and contact information here http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/contacts.html.
Once my school applies, what is the process and timeline for hearing whether we won?
Applications go through two rounds of review. The first screens applications for completeness, accuracy, and potential eligibility issues. If issues or errors arise at this point, the school is given a chance to explain or correct them. This takes place after the applications are received. Applications then enter a second round of review for compliances with eligibility criteria.
Once both reviews are completed, schools must meet adequate yearly progress for the latest round of state assessments in order to receive the Blue Ribbon award. Because state assessment results are not typically announced until the late summer just before the next school year, the Department will announce the winning schools usually in September of the year after a school's initial nomination. The ceremony takes place in mid-fall. The entire process, therefore, from initial nomination to receiving the award, takes about a year.
Where are the winning applications from previous years?
You may read applications from previous winning schools here http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html. If your school has been nominated and is applying for the award, the Department encourages you to read previous applications to see how other schools completed them.
What other resources are available for learning about Blue Ribbon Schools?
Each year, a small group of Blue Ribbon Schools are site visited in order to learn more about the factors that lead to their high level of achievement. To read in-depth profiles of a select group of previous award-winning schools, click here http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.
When asked for data, provide the latest data you have available. For example, enrollment data are for 2010-2011. Drop out data, student attendance, and teacher attendance are for the 2009-2010 school year.
What if I have questions about state assessments for this application?
Call your Blue Ribbon Schools Program state liaison at your state department of education. A list of the Blue Ribbon state liaisons can be found on the Blue Ribbon Schools page under "state contacts" at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/contacts.html. Your district office should also be able to help you with the necessary test data.
Should I report other assessments?
If your school gives other assessments besides the ones mandated by the state, you do not have to provide them unless they are part of the official state assessment system.
What should I say in responses to Part IV, Number 1 on the meaning of the school's assessment results?
Concentrate on the meaning of the school's results and provide one or two sentences on the state assessment. The states provide detailed information to the Department. The reference to the state assessment program is for people who will read the application when it is posted on the Department's website next year.
How do I report the school's state assessment results?
Use the appropriate state terminology and provide information on all the levels reported by the state. Change the levels on the application sample table to be consistent with your state assessment categories. For example, if it is basic, proficient, and advanced, give the information about the percentage of students at or above each of those levels.
What does "reporting data at the various levels cumulatively" mean?
It means report the percentage of students "Meeting" plus "Exceeding" State Standards at each level. For example, be sure to include proficient and advanced in the percentage at or above basic and advanced in the percentage at or above proficient.
How many years of data should be given?
Schools must report five years of data for each grade level tested. If five years of data is not available, please include an explanation.
What do I need to say about the school's arts program, physical education and foreign language program (grade 7 or higher)?
In Part V, Number 1, page 13, be sure to describe in a couple of sentences each about the school's arts program (visual/performing arts), physical education and/or your foreign language program. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it must offer a foreign language program in those grades as part of its curriculum. At the high school level, foreign language instructions should be an integral part of the curriculum.
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