Blue Ribbon School Award

I'm very proud to be posting this wonderful news. The school Devin attends has earned a Blue Ribbon Award.

FARIBAULT — Lincoln Elementary was announced Tuesday as one of the 320 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools for 2008 after a half-decade turnaround of their state third-grade math test scores.

Lincoln was dropped off the list of Minnesota schools that “needed improvement” in 2003 after three school years of not meeting state standards in third-grade math.

For the last six years, Lincoln has met Adequate Yearly Progress, a standard all schools nationwide are expected to meet. Each year, the expectations are raised.

Lincoln principal Mark Wergeland attributed the award and national notoriety to the hard work of staff, students and parents.

“It’s been a long effort,” he said. “We feel very good about it.”

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

The program was established in 1982 and redesigned in 2002 when the No Child Left Behind Act went into effect. For recognition, it requires schools to meet one of two criteria:

— Be a school that has at least 40 percent of their students from “disadvantaged backgrounds” that show dramatic improvements on the state tests in reading — including language arts and English — and math.

— Be a school that scores in the top 10 percent on state reading and math tests, regardless of demographics.

Lincoln fell into the first category. “Disadvantaged kids,” Wergeland said, would be those who are considered “free and reduced lunch” students and English language learners.

Donna Crowl, a first-grade teacher at Lincoln, said a lot of people deserve acknowledgment for Lincoln’s efforts, including the staff, students, parents, the Lincoln Parent-Teacher Organization and its community relations.

“It’s not one person, it’s been so many people (and) so many steps,” Crowl said. “It’s been a huge process.”

Wergeland said when Lincoln initially failed to meet the standards established by the state, the school received a small grant for staff development.

With the help of two consultants through the Minnesota Department of Education, as well as an additional consultant hired by the school, the school was able to raise its results.

Wergeland said the school initiated book studies to acclimate itself with the changing demographics of the school, as well as develop the staff to incorporate the focus of the school throughout its day.

He said because math was a concern, curriculum was changed in both math and reading, and classes outside of those — like art, music and physical education — incorporated those aspects.

“We took a ‘no excuses’ attitude,” Wergeland said.

Richard Olson, a member of the school board of the Faribault School District, said he was a fan of the school’s pursuit for the award.

“That’s a great honor,” he said. “Hopefully we can maintain that. I’m so proud of our staff and students at Lincoln.”

The school was one of five public elementary schools in the state to achieve Blue Ribbon status.

The other four were Plymouth Creek Elementary in Plymouth, Shirley Hills Primary Schools in Mound, Willow Lane Elementary in White Bear Lake and Woodland Elementary School in Eagan.

Two Minnesota private schools — Holy Name of Jesus School in Wayzata and Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan — also received Blue Ribbon status.

Wergeland and Crowl will attend a ceremony in Washington D.C. next month honoring all of the Blue Ribbon schools in the nation. They will receive a plaque and flag signifying their success and status.

Wergeland said a celebration of sorts will be in order sometime after they return.