For the fifth time in six years, the Ohio Department of Education is nominating a Solon School for the U.S. Department of Education’s prestigious No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School Award. Solon Middle School is one of only 14 public schools that Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Deb Delisle is nominating for the 2010 national award. Solon Middle School’s nomination is based on the school’s “excellent performance” on the state of Ohio’s 2008-2009 accountability measures, according to ODE. To be eligible to be nominated, Solon Middle School student achievement levels on the seventh and eighth grade Ohio Achievement Tests in both reading and math ranked in the top 10 percent of all schools in Ohio. The federal No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes elementary and secondary schools throughout the United States that make significant progress in closing achievement gaps or whose students achieve at superior levels. The program guidelines charge state departments of education with nominating public schools that meet federally defined achievement criteria. At least one-third of a state’s nominated schools must have student populations in which 40 percent or more of the families are classified as economically disadvantaged. Other nominated schools, like those in Solon, must meet the top 10 percent benchmark. Through the Blue Ribbon School program, the U.S. Department of Education recognizes high-achieving schools as models for other schools. Only 415 schools nationwide may be nominated each year, and the Ohio Department of Education may place in nomination only 14 schools based on the number of students in the state. Solon Middle School was nominated as one of Ohio’s “high-performing schools,” Ohio Department of Education officials said. In the weeks ahead, the Solon Middle School staff will be working on the required application materials to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by February. The 2010 award winners will be announced in September of 2010 after federal education officials validate the student achievement results for the upcoming year. Additional information on the 2010 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools award is available on the U.S. Department of Education web site at www.ed.gov.
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