Schools

Campbell Schools Receive Prestigious Award

Moreland Middle School and Lynhaven Elementary are two of the five recipients of the 27th annual Hoffmann Award.

It's been a banner year for Campbell schools. Moreland's Anderson Village School was awarded the in December 2010, and received the Project Cornerstone Asset Champions Award in the category of Caring School Climate.

Now it's time to add one more accolade: Glenn W. Hoffmann Award recipients.

's Lynhaven Elementary and Moreland School District's both received the county award this year, which brings not only the recognition but also a $500 check to each school.

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"We are thrilled and honored that we have been chosen for this award," says Moreland Middle School Principal Karen Allard. "Many schools out there have an achievement gap that is widening, and we are shrinking it."

Moreland was honored for its "Road To Academic Achievement" program, a school program aimed at closing the student achievement gap, and was the only middle school out of the five schools honored to receive this recognition this year.

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According to the California Department of Education's website, the gap is defined as the disparities between white students and other ethnic groups, between English learners and native English speakers, between socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged and between students with disabilities and students without disabilities.

What Closing the Achievement Gap Looks Like

California schools are graded on their overall performance using the Annual Performance Index (API) on a scale of 200-1,000, with 800 being the state benchmark. In Moreland Middle School, the total API growth in 2009-10 was 75 points, up from 768 in 2009 to 843 in 2010.

2009 API 2010 API Growth Hispanic/Latino 599 718 119 Asian 895 938 43 White 833 901 68 Socioeconomically disadvantaged 582 712 130 English learners 568 760 192

"We have a very dedicated staff that does whatever it takes to make this happen," Allard says. "There are 12 of them that stay after school to help out. We also work with advanced students. It's a very systematic approach."

The school monitors the academic achievement of its students with benchmark assessments every eight weeks.

"We are constantly monitoring student progress and making instructional decisions based on that data," she says. "This is just validation to the teachers. Their dedication and hard work is being validated by its community."

ABCs to Success

Campbell Union School District's Lynhaven Elementary School also gained recognition for its ABC program, which it's had for five years.

"We know as a school site that we have been successful, because people come and comment on the warm environment," says Lynhaven Principal Sarah Jellin. "This award lets the community know all the hard work that has been done at this site. And it’s important, because our program can be spread to other school sites, and that’s important because when you have a good thing going, you want to be able to share that with other schools."

The program is a positive behavior system, standing for the core teachings:

  • Act responsibly
  • Behave respectfully
  • Care for all.

"It’s our belief system that children should be rewarded for good behavior that they display," Jellin says. "So like academics, it's our responsibility to teach them how to behave appropriately at school and not assume they already know how."

The other schools that are Hoffman Awards recipients include Sedgwick Elementary School in the and in the .

There are 33 districts within Santa Clara County, and this year, there were 13 total submissions for the Hoffmann Award.

"It’s recognition of a job well done," says Danielle Cohen, one of the four committee chairs of the Santa Clara County School Boards. "It's for going beyond what is expected, the recognition of having an innovative program that enhances a child’s educational experience."

Although there is a small monetary award, Cohen says it's not about the money.

 "It's more about the recognition of exemplary programs out there," she says. "Primarily it’s about the impact on students."

Each submission is graded by various local administrators and school board members on various categories, and the highest score achievable is a 25. Things that the board looks for in a school program include the following:

  • Is there a measurable and comprehensive way to impact the students?
  • What is the level of innovation?
  • Is it replicable?

The awards honor Glenn W. Hoffmann, who served as superintendent of Santa Clara County schools from 1967-84.

Representatives of the winning programs will be honored April 27 at a 6 p.m. awards ceremony at Fiorillo’s Restaurant, 638 El Camino Real, Santa Clara.


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