Vista Grande and Sycamore Valley Named California Distinguished Schools

Two Danville schools earned the badge as some of the best in California for narrowing the gap in test scores between high- and low-performing students and overall academic excellence.

Sycamore Valley and Vista Grande elementary schools each secured the title of California Distinguished School for making gains in federal and state standardized tests, according to the state Department of Education, which released the list today.

The Danville schools ranked among 484 top California elementary schools. The list included 13 in Contra Costa County, six of them in the San Ramon Valley Unified Schools District.

"This is another nice feather in our cap," said district Superintendent Steven Enoch, whose district has long held some of the highest standardized test scores in the state.

The district has seen its schools earn the honor 66 times in the 24 years since the program's inception – more than any other school district in California, according to the district.

Schools that make the cut are asked to share the secrets to their success with other schools. Earning a spot on the list gives that school the responsibility of acting as mentor to other educators, according to the department of education.

The state plans to make those "signature practices" available on its Web site sometime this spring. The idea is to give underperforming schools access to tried-and-true techniques to improve student performance.

Vista Grande Principal Patricia Hansen credited much of her school's success to its focus on reading and writing.

"We just made great strides this year," said Hansen.

Teamwork among students and teachers and even with neighboring Green Valley Elementary School helped Vista Grande strengthen its already impressive Annual Yearly Progress and Academic Performance Index scores, Hansen said.

As much as teachers drove students to up their test scores, they pushed to make them well-rounded individuals, added Vista Grande kindergarten instructor Karen McGregor.

"We really put the emphasis on teaching the whole child," said McGregor, who has seen her school earn the "distinguished" title three times in her 15-year tenure. "We make sure that we reach each child academically, emotionally and socially."

Other San Ramon Valley schools on the list were Coyote Creek, Hidden Hills, Live Oak and Rancho Romero elementary schools. The state recognizes elementary and secondary schools in alternate years.

The schools on the list this year included a diverse sampling of rural, urban and suburban schools with a range of test scores, high to low.

"It is an honor to recognize the schools … (that) have persevered despite state budget cutbacks that have cut deeply into the budgets of local school districts," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell in a statement released today.

Each of the selected schools will be honored at an awards ceremony in early June at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

To view the entire list of distinguished schools, go to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/cs/disting2010.asp.