NMSI Partner School Named a 2015 California Gold Ribbon School

Congratulations to Junipero Serra High School in San Diego for receiving a 2015 Gold Ribbon Award from the California Department of Education in recognition of their outstanding Advanced Placement® success in partnership with NMSI’s College Readiness Program.
 
As part of its commitment to provide rigorous, relevant standards-based curriculum that will prepare their students for success in the 21st century workforce, the school adopted the College Readiness Program in the 2013-14 school year. In Serra High School’s first year in the program, it recorded the highest percentage increase in qualifying math and science AP® exam scores over the previous school year in the state of California — an 86% increase among the state’s 567 schools that had at least 30 qualifying math and science scores.
 
"[Gold Ribbon awardees] are academically successful, vibrant and innovative centers of learning and teaching,” said Tom Torlakson, California Superintendent of Education stated that. “They provide great examples of the things educators are doing right - embracing rigorous academic standards, providing excellence and creativity in teaching, and creating a positive school climate."
 
Schools apply for the award based on a model program their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies and practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies. Serra High School was also awarded a Title I Academic Achievement Award, an additional recognition given to schools receiving federal funds that assist in meeting the educational needs of students living at or below the poverty line.
 
Serra High School, which is located near four military installations, launched the three-year College Readiness Program with funding from the Department of Defense Education Activity, as part of an initiative to increase academic rigor and college and career readiness among students in military-connected high schools across the country.
 
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