California Distinguished School Awards
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the State of California that represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a rigorous selection process. Eligibility is based on Federal and State criteria including the No Child Left Behind program, Academic Performance Index (API), and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Title I Academic Achievement Award
The Title I Academic Achievement Award is given only to schools receiving federal Title I funds as authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Title I is the single largest federal educational program for K-12 public education. Title I funds assist schools in meeting the educational needs of students living near or at the poverty level. Of the more than 9,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program.
The criteria to qualify for the Title I Academic Achievement Award have become more rigorous in recent years. To meet the criteria for this distinction, the school must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic content standards. Additionally, the school's socioeconomically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years.
Source: http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr10/yr10rel20.asp
California Business for Education Excellence
The 2011 Honor Roll includes 1,614 California public elementary, middle and high schools that have been recognized by California’s business community for having demonstrated consistent high student academic achievement and making significant progress toward closing achievement gaps among all their students… “These schools are the bright spots of excellence in efforts to raise student academic achievement and close persistent achievement gaps,” said Kirk Clark, president of CBEE. “By highlighting them, recognizing their achievement and giving them a voice we hope other schools can learn from these proven practices and we can begin to duplicate their success to scale throughout the state.”
Source: http://www.cbeefoundation.org/honor_roll.html