CAPE

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program

 

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Program Overview

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored America’s most successful public and private elementary, middle, and high schools since 1982. A Blue Ribbon Schools flag waving overhead has become a trademark of excellence, a symbol of quality recognized by everyone from parents to policy-makers in thousands of communities.

The program recognizes schools that meet either of two criteria:

• Exemplary High performing schools: Schools that are ranked among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments in both reading (English language arts) and mathematics or that score at the highest performance level on tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested.
• Exemplary Improving schools:  Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that have reduced the achievement gap by improving student performance to high levels in reading (English language arts) and mathematics on state assessments or tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested.

Blue Ribbon Schools are honored each year at a recognition ceremony in Washington, DC. The applications from the award-winning schools are posted on the Department Web site. Summaries from a small group of Blue Ribbon Schools visited each year identify educational practices that have been successful in closing the achievement gap.

New for 2012:  There have been numerous minor changes in the application and program for 2012 and several significant changes, including:

1. Test scores must be reported only for grades three and higher; scores for lower grades should not be reported.
2. Schools with enrollments (not counting PreK) under 100 students are no longer eligible to apply.
3. The program is now open to schools that have previously won the award in 2003-2006, although priority consideration will be given to schools that have not won the award in those years.
4. Because of new requirements in the Exemplary Improving Schools category that are not readily measured on national tests, private schools administering national tests will not be eligible this year for an award under the Exemplary Improving Schools category (see note below). Schools administering state tests, however, will be eligible if they meet the new criteria.
5. Various essay questions have undergone significant changes. Read and respond carefully.

Applicants are advised to read the application and all information on this page very carefully.

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Assessment Requirements

Private schools are eligible for Blue Ribbon recognition if they meet either one of two criteria:

Exemplary High Performing Schools: "High performing" means that the achievement of the school’s students in the most recent year tested places the school among the highest performing schools in the nation in reading (or English language arts) and mathematics as measured by a nationally normed test, or among the highest in its state as measured by a state test. If a private school administers both state tests and nationally normed tests, the school must be among the highest in both.  In the most recent year tested, scores for ALL tested grades three and higher must be among the top 15 percent of scores in the state or nation for that grade using school norms as the standard. Disaggregated results for student subgroups, including students from disadvantaged backgrounds, must be similar to the results for all students tested in the most recent year tested; at a minimum, student subgroups must be at the 60th student percentile or higher on nationally standardized tests or state tests if administered.

For schools using nationally standardized tests, the U.S. Department of Education has published tables of cut scores for each grade that place performance in the top 15 percent of schools in the nation. You can download the tables here in PDF format. (Detailed procedures for determining eligibility based on test scores for national tests are provided below.)  Schools using state standardized tests will have to find out from their state education department whether their scores place them in the top 15 percent of schools in the state for each test. See State Contacts List. Whether a school uses national or state tests or both, the top 15 percent criterion must be met in both reading and math scores for the most recent year tested for ALL grades three and higher in which the tests are administered in the school.

Exemplary Improving Schools: If at least 40 percent of the school’s students are from disadvantaged backgrounds, a school may qualify if it places among schools that have made the most progress in improving student achievement. “Made the most progress” means: (a) the school is among the top 10 percent of schools that have shown the greatest improvement in student achievement nationally or statewide (for schools administering state tests) over the previous five years on norm-referenced assessments of reading (or English language arts) and mathematics, and (b) disaggregated results for student subgroups, including students from disadvantaged backgrounds, must show improvement similar to that of all students.

A student from a “disadvantaged background” must include a student who is eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.  The definition may include students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient, migrant, or receiving services under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Schools using state standardized tests will have to find out from their state education department (see State Contacts List) whether their scores and degree of improvement over the past five years put them in the top 10 percent of improving schools in the state. If the school meets the standards, it should secure a written acknowledgement of that fact from an official at the department and submit that with their application.

Please note: Schools that rely on national norm-referenced tests to qualify as an Exemplary Improving School, i.e., have not administered state tests, will not be able to apply for the 2012 award due to a change in program requirements. For 2012, Exemplary Improving Schools need to demonstrate that they are in the top 10 percent in gains in student achievement relative to national norms. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is carefully studying how best to measure such gains based on national norms for the different norm-referenced tests that are available.

For Both Categories of Schools:  Test results for all grades three and higher tested during the most recent five years must be reported even if the assessment was revised or changed during that period. In the rare case where five years of test results are not available, an explanation should be provided in the application. Schools that do not provide five years of test results for all grades tested, regardless of the explanation, will be placed in a second tier of eligibility, and their applications will be reviewed only in the event CAPE does not receive 50 eligible applications with five full years of data. (An exception to the "second tier" rule applies to schools that have added grades to their testing program in recent years in order to get a more complete picture of student performance.) Also note that if a school had fewer than 10 students in ANY grade tested during the five most recent years of testing, it is NOT eligible to apply for the program.

 

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Process and Timeline

 

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Does Your School Rank in the Top 15 Percent?

The U.S. Department of Education has published tables of cut scores for standardized tests that school officials can use to determine whether their school ranks in the top 15 percent of schools in the nation. You can download the tables here in PDF format. Cut scores are available for the following tests:

• ITBS/ITED (Forms A,B,C), Riverside Publishing
• SAT – 9th Ed (Form S), Pearson Education, Inc.
• SAT – 10th Ed (Form A), Pearson Education, Inc.
• MAT 8 (Form V), Pearson Education, Inc.
• Terra Nova 2nd Edition (All Forms), CTB/McGraw-Hill
• Terra Nova 3 (All Forms), CTB/McGraw-Hill
• CTP IV, Educational Records Bureau
• SAT, College Board
• ACT, ACT
• NWEA, MAP
• Performance Series, Scantron

If a school's nationally normed testing program is not listed above, the school is not eligible for the BRS program unless it administers, and qualifies using, state tests.

In cases where state tests are administered, a school should contact the state education department to find out what scores in reading and math put it in the top 15 percent of schools in the state (see State Contacts List).

 

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Online Application Process

Within a week after they fill out CAPE’s online registration form, schools will receive a “School ID” and a “Password” to access the online application.  Hardcopies of the application are available as Word or PDF documents for reference and practice, but schools must complete the application online.

An essential point to keep in mind when working with the online application is that the “Final Submission” button can only be pressed once.  The time to press it is in February 2012 when submitting the FINAL application to the U.S. Department of Education.  (Only 50 schools selected by CAPE will be able to submit the final application.)

Until the “Final Submission” button is hit in February, the online application is considered a draft application and may be printed, revised, and revisited over and over.  The “Final Submission” button in effect locks the application in its final form, which is why schools should not hit it until the February submission.

As part of the CAPE review process, schools must send CAPE two printed copies of the online application for receipt at CAPE by January 6.  It is easy to print a paper copy from the online application; just hit "Print Draft Copy."  CAPE’s review panel has to work with paper copies and does not have access to online copies.

After CAPE’s review panel meets in January to select the 50 schools to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, we notify the schools with suggestions about final amendments they should make to their draft application before submitting the application in February.  Only after this review and correction process should schools submit their final application by hitting the “Final Submission” button.

 

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Additional Guidelines

1. Read and follow the directions in the application packet carefully. Pay attention to the technical specifications. When CAPE's review panel evaluates applications in an effort to narrow the field to the allotted 50, it eliminates applications that do not comply with the program's rules and specifications.
2. The program is looking to identify truly exemplary model schools, not just good schools or strong schools. Your responses to the questions must convey programs and practices that are well above the ordinary.
3. Periodically check the Frequently Asked Questions section of CAPE's Web site
4. Proofread and edit the application. Someone with a solid background in writing should do the final edit.
5. We welcome your phone calls (301-916-8460), faxes (301-916-8485), or e-mail inquiries (brs@capenet.org) concerning any aspect of the application process. One of our goals at CAPE is to help private schools receive recognition as Blue Ribbon Schools!
6. When you get your superintendent (e.g., for Catholic schools) and/or school board president to sign the cover sheet, have them sign a few extra copies, so you will have an original signed cover sheet if you are invited to submit a revised application in February. Hint: Get the cover sheet signed early in the process to avoid last-minute snags as the due date approaches.
7. Here are some points to review in connection with part II of the application:
   1. The percentages reported in #8, #9, and #10 are calculated using the ratio of the total number of students in each category to the total student enrollment in the school.
   2. The ratio reported in item 12 should be calculated using full-time equivalent classroom teachers, which can be determined by using line 2 of item 11. For example, five full-time teachers and six half-time teachers equal eight full-time equivalent teachers.
8. Examples of responses to particular questions may be found in the applications of winning private schools for 2003-11. See Applications on USDE Web site.
9. Avoid using the first person (we, our, etc.) in the narrative.
10. Private schools that have enrollments under 100 (excluding PreK) or that have enrollments of nine or fewer students in any grade for which test scores are reported for the past five years are not eligible to apply.
11. Disregard instructions at the bottom of the application's first page about sending an original signed cover sheet to Aba Kumi. For private schools, all documents are submitted to CAPE at CAPE's mailing address.
12. If you belong to a (arch)diocese, identify the (arch)diocese and superintendent in the "district" section.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

— General —

What is the maximum number of schools that CAPE can nominate to the USDE for recognition?

Fifty.

What if CAPE receives more exemplary applications from qualifying schools than it can nominate?

The CAPE review panel will narrow the field to 50 by eliminating applications not in compliance with the requirements of the program (including submission deadlines and other technical requirements) and by evaluating the quality and responsiveness of the essay questions. Download the scoring guidelines (PDF) that reviewers will use for the 2012 program. CAPE will give preference to schools that qualify in the "improving schools" category. We will also give preference to schools that applied in previous cycles of the BRS program but were unsuccessful because of technical (as opposed to substantive) violations.* Finally, preference will be given to schools that did not win the award in the years 2003-2006 (schools that won after those years are not eligible to apply). After that, all applications of eligible schools that meet the requirements of the program and that provide exemplary responses to the essay questions will be pooled, and nominated schools will be selected randomly.

*To receive this preferential treatment, schools that fall in this category should attach a note to the draft application submitted in January to let CAPE know that the application is a second try. The note should indicate the year and violation of the initial application.

Must a school have a minimum enrollment to apply?

Schools must have an enrollment of 100 or more students. Also, the count for each grade for which test scores are reported over the past five years must be 10 or more students.

May a K-12 school apply to have only part of its school recognized (e.g., the elementary division or the middle school division)?

That depends on how the school is configured and managed. If the school has separate buildings and separate administrators for its lower, middle, and upper divisions, it may submit a separate application for each division. However, if a school has only one administrator, it must apply as a unit. The rule of thumb is whether or not the public would be able to understand that only a particular unit of the school, and not the entire school, received the award.

If a school received the NCLB-BRS award in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011 may it apply for the 2012 award?

No. See List of Schools. Only schools that have not received the award in the past five years are eligible for the program. Note that priority in the selection process will be given to private schools that did not win the award in years 2003-2006.

May a new school apply?

A nominated school must be in existence with its current grade configuration for at least five full years, that is, since September 2006.

— Foreign Language Requirement —

Must a school offer a foreign language program in order to qualify?

If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it must have a foreign language program in those grades as part of its curriculum. Explicit compliance with the foreign language requirement must be communicated as part of the response to Question 1 of Part V, by stating, "[Name of School] is in compliance with the program's foreign language requirements."

What standard is used to determine if foreign language is part of the curriculum in grades 7 and higher?

The U.S. Department of Education has determined that a school with grades 7 and higher must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum, and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course. CAPE has interpreted this to mean that, for grades 7 and 8, 20 percent or more of students must take foreign language during the regular school day for the equivalent of 30 minutes per week for a full year. So, for example, if a school were to offer foreign language for an hour each week for a half year to 20 percent of its students, it would meet the requirement. At the high school level, foreign language instruction should be an integral part of the curriculum with the majority of students taking two or more years of foreign language instruction before they graduate. If you have questions about whether your school meets this requirement, please send an e-mail message to CAPE (brs@capenet.org) describing the program in detail (e.g., what percent of students in grade 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 take the program; how many periods per week; how many minutes per period). If need be, we will forward your e-mail to the U.S. Department of Education for guidance. Please be sure to resolve this issue before applying for the award. A number of schools were disqualified in past years because they failed to meet the foreign language requirement.

— Assessment Verification —

What assessment verification must schools submit to CAPE?

Depending on how they qualify for the program, schools must include with their initial applications the following information.

Exemplary High Performing Schools in Nation: A copy of a printout from the testing publisher (it generally has the company logo on it) that identifies the school's scores in reading and math for the most recent year tested in ALL grades tested from grade 3 up. We prefer a single sheet covering all grades, but if your testing company does not report scores that way, then submit a separate sheet for each grade. (Note: A school must submit, as part of the application, testing data in reading and math for all grades three and higher tested for the past five years, but the assessment verification documents should be submitted only for the most recent year tested. Do not submit verification data for years other than the most recent year tested.) Attach the document(s) to the very end of your application.  The point of the assessment verification document(s) is to verify the accuracy of the scores the school has reported for the most recent year tested, so the scores on the online application and the assessment verification document(s) should match. Many schools are disqualified from the program either because they do not submit an assessment verification sheet, or they report the wrong kinds of scores (e.g., school percentiles instead of student percentiles), or the scores in the online tables do not match the assessment verification scores.  Call CAPE if you have questions about any of this. Also, high schools using SAT and ACT scores from multiple testing dates should call CAPE regarding assessment verification.

Exemplary High Performing Schools in State: A copy of the printout(s) from the state education department that identifies the school's scores in reading and math for the most recent year tested in ALL grades tested from grade 3 up. The school must also provide evidence from the state education department that the scores reported in the most recent year tested place the school in the top 15 percent of schools in the state in both reading and math for each grade. Finally, if the school is reporting disaggregated results for student subgroups, it must provide evidence from the state education department that results for student subgroups in the most recent year tested are at the 60th student percentile or higher on state tests.

Exemplary Improving Schools in State: A copy of printouts/letters from the state education department that verify that the school's demographics, scores, and progress over the past five years render a school eligible for this category.. 

— Other Assessment Issues —

Where do I find the nationally standardized test scores that I should be reporting and that qualify my school for the program?

It’s different for each testing company, but here is guidance for the most popular K-8 tests. Note, however, that if you have to disaggregate scores for subgroups (see guidelines here), you should report all scores as scale scores.

Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS):  On the testing company’s summary report for the grade in question, look at the row marked “Percentile Rank of Average SS:  National Student Norms” and go to the columns marked “Reading Total” and “Mathematics Total.”   Report these scores for all grades tested.  To see if your school qualifies for the program, take these scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested and compare them to the cut scores found for the appropriate grade and subject under the column marked “Column 2” on the ITBS page of the Education Department’s document titled “Non-Public School Assessment Information.”  Note that there are two different score columns for fall and spring administrations of the test. Use the column that applies to your school.

Terra Nova:  On the testing company’s summary report for the grade in question, look at the row marked “NP of the Mean NCE” and go to the columns marked “Read” and “Math” (not “Read Compst” and “Math Compst”). Report these scores for all grades tested.  To see if your school qualifies for the program, take these scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested and compare them to the cut scores found for the appropriate grade and subject under the column marked “Column 2” on the Terra Nova page of the Education Department’s document titled “Non-Public School Assessment Information.” Note that there are separate tables for different editions of the Terra Nova, and also note that the Terra Nova 3 table reports separate scores for spring and fall administrations of the test. Use the scores that apply to your school.

Stanford Achievement Test:  Report scores using either scale scores or percentiles, but be consistent throughout the application. If you want to use scale scores, on the testing company’s summary report for the grade in question, look at the rows marked “Total Reading” and “Total Mathematics,” and then go the column marked “Mean Scaled Scores.”  Report these scores for all grades tested. To see if your school qualifies for the program, take these scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested and compare them to the cut scores found for the appropriate grade and subject under the column marked “Column 1” on the SAT page of the Education Department’s document titled “Non-Public School Assessment Information.”  Note that there are two different SAT pages reflecting different SAT editions. If you want to use percentiles, on the testing company’s summary report for the grade in question, look at the rows marked “Total Reading” and “Total Mathematics,” and then go the column marked “National Individual PR-S.”  Note that this column gives two scores, the percentile and the stanine, separated by a dash. The first two digits are the percentile. Only use that score. Report these scores for all grades tested. To see if your school qualifies for the program, take these scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested and compare them to the cut scores found for the appropriate grade and subject under the column marked “Column 2” on the SAT page of the Education Department’s document titled “Non-Public School Assessment Information.”  Note that there are two different SAT pages reflecting different SAT editions.

ERB Comprehensive Testing Program (IV):  On the testing company’s “Reading Comprehension” summary report for the grade in question, look at the "Mean Score" at the top left (just under "Scale Score Range"), Round the mean score (up if .5 or higher, down if .4 or less). Report these scores for all grades tested.  Do the same for the "Mathematics 1 & 2" summary report. To see if your school qualifies for the program, take these scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested and compare them to the cut scores found for the appropriate grade and subject under the column marked “Column 1” on the CTP IV page of the Education Department’s document titled “Non-Public School Assessment Information.”

Does a school have to meet or exceed the cut scores for every grade tested in the five years for which test scores are being reported?

No.  Even though a school must report five years of reading and math scores for every grade tested, the only scores that must meet or exceed the cut scores are the scores for each grade tested in the most recent year tested.  Scores for other years must be in the general vicinity of the cut scores, or on an upward trend, but need not meet or exceed them.

If a school is in a state that requires private schools to take state tests, should the school use nationally normed tests or state tests to qualify for the program?

If a private school administers state tests and nationally normed tests, the school must report both sets of test results and be in the top 15 percent in both. In other words, such schools must qualify under state standards and national standards.

If a private school elects to, but is not mandated to, administer state tests in addition to national tests, must it report the state test results and meet the state test cutoff scores?

Yes.

Where can I find out what state tests to report, how to report them, and whether my school is in the top 15 percent of schools in the state?

For questions about state assessments, call your state department of education. State Contacts List (PDF).

If a school uses nationally standardized tests for which qualifying cut scores have not been determined by the USDE, is there any way it can qualify under the "top 15 percent in the nation" category?

We're sorry, but at this point there is not. If a school wishes to qualify under the "top 15 percent in the nation" category, it must use a test whose publisher has provided the U.S. Department of Education with qualifying cutoff scores.

Under what circumstances must a school disaggregate assessment data for certain groups of students?

The school must disaggregate the data for the following groups of students whenever such groups consist of 10 or more students per grade:

1. students eligible for free or reduced-priced meals,
2. any minority (non-white) ethnic/racial group,
3. limited English proficient students, migrant students, and students with disabilities.

If the number of students assessed in any subgroup is fewer than 10, do not report the test results or the number of students assessed. [The following sentences in this paragraph were added 12/15/11.] Note that this advice differs from instructions provided in the online application, which requests assessment data regardless of the subgroup size. The online request applies to public schools only. Private schools should ignore the online request and should follow CAPE’s instructions.

With respect to meal-eligible students, the school must disaggregate the data (assuming the conditions in paragraph 1 apply) whether or not the school actually offers the federal school meal program.

Disaggregated results for student groups must be similar to the levels of all students tested; at a minimum, student subgroups must be at the 60th student percentile or higher on nationally standardized tests or state tests if administered.

Note that you cannot average percentiles when calculating disaggregated scores. You can average scale scores, however. Accordingly, if you have to disaggregate scores, you should report all scores for all grades as scale scores so that your score reporting is consistent. Also, you must provide evidence from the testing company and/or the state that disaggregated scale scores are at the 60th student percentile or higher. It gets complicated, so you might want to call CAPE on this point.

Even though a school qualifies for the program using test results in reading and math from the most recent year tested in all grades tested, does it still have to submit reading and math results from all the standardized state and national tests administered in all grades for the past five years?

Yes.

What if a school does not have five years of assessment data?

In the rare case where five years of test results are not available, an explanation should be provided in the application. Schools that do not provide five years of test results for all grades tested, regardless of the explanation, will be placed in a second tier of eligibility, and their applications will be reviewed only in the event CAPE does not receive 50 eligible applications with five full years of data. (An exception to the "second tier" rule applies to schools that have added grades to their testing program in recent years in order to get a more complete picture of student performance.)

May the assessment results reported by the testing company be adjusted to allow for special circumstances (e.g., by excluding the scores of a student who falls asleep during the test and thereby brings the group’s average down)?

No. The only scores that count are those reported by the testing company. The school may not make adjustments to these scores.

We are a high school, but ninth grade is the highest grade we test, may we use those scores to qualify for the program?

No. High schools may only use scores for tenth grade or higher to qualify.

Does the "top 10 percent" requirement mean that the school has to have been in the top 15 percent of all the schools in the nation or state (or both) for at least the past five years? Or could it be for the current year only?

The school must be in the top 15 percent for the latest year of the reported tests. Depending on when test results are available, the "latest year" may be the current one or it may be the previous year.

Does the "top 15 percent" requirement mean that the school has to demonstrate that all student groups in the school score equally well?

No. Schools may use aggregate scores to qualify. However, each student group for whom there are disaggregated data must achieve at levels similar to the majority students; at a minimum, student subgroups must be at the 60th student percentile or higher on nationally standardized tests or state tests if administered.

If the results of the current year's assessments are not available at the application deadline, may the school use the previous five years' data?

Yes. The school should use the most recent five years of available data.

What if the nationally normed high school test used is the ACT or SAT?

If 90 percent or more of students from the most recent graduating class took the SATs, but not the ACTs, use the SATs to qualify for the program. If 90 percent or more of students from the most recent graduating class took the ACTs, but not the SATs, use the ACTs to qualify for the program. If 90 percent or more of students took some combination of the SATs and ACTs (e.g., 50 percent take SATs and 40 percent take ACTs) use both tests to quality for the program. If fewer than 90 percent take the tests, the results cannot be reported. The school has the responsibility to demonstrate that, in the aggregate, the students in a school achieve in the top 15 percent of the nation on these tests and that disaggregated results for student groups are at the 60th student percentile or higher.

If a student takes the ACT or SAT multiple times, may a school use the highest scores attained by that student in calculating the class average?

Yes, but call CAPE on how to provide assessment verification.

Should high schools submit PSAT or PLAN results?

No.

If a high school has 90 percent or more of its seniors taking some combination of the ACT and SAT, must it submit those scores and must they meet or exceed the cut scores for the program?

Yes.

If a high school has its seniors take a standardized test other than the ACT and SAT but also has 90 percent or more or its seniors taking some combination of the ACT and SAT, must it submit both sets of scores and must they both meet or exceed the cutoff scores for the program.

Yes.

 

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