Five Kentucky schools nominated for Blue Ribbon School designation

Five Kentucky schools will undergo the U.S. Department of Education’s application process for potential recognition as Blue Ribbon Schools. The five schools that were nominated are:

Southside Elementary School, Pike County
North Middletown Elementary School, Bourbon County
Woodfill Elementary School, Ft. Thomas Independent
W.R. McNeill Elementary School, Bowling Green Independent
Gamaliel Elementary School, Monroe County

The commissioner of education is asked to nominate a maximum of five schools each year that meet the federal criteria. The schools will now undergo a rigorous application process that will take about a year, the results of which will determine if they are designated as Blue Ribbon Schools.

National Blue Ribbon Schools awards recognize public and private P-12 schools that help students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing achievement gaps.

The program requires schools to meet either of two assessment criteria. It recognizes schools whose student achievement in reading and mathematics places them among the highest-performing schools in the state and whose results for student groups are similar to the results of all students tested. Schools also may show that the performance of at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds has dramatically improved in reading and mathematics over the last three years in accordance with state assessment systems. Nominated schools also must make adequate yearly progress under the requirements of federal law.

In September, five Kentucky public schools were designated as 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. They are Cline Elementary School (Campbell County), William H. Natcher Elementary School (Cloverport Independent), Dixie Elementary Magnet School (Fayette County), Sedalia Elementary School (Graves County) and Ezel Elementary School (Morgan County).

Since the program’s revamping in 2003, 30 Kentucky public schools have been named Blue Ribbon Schools.

MORE INFO …
Blue Ribbon Schools Program