HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2017) – For the fifth year in a row, Clear Creek and Etowah elementary schools have received recognition as top ranking Title I schools and are eligible for consideration for representing North Carolina as the National Title I Distinguished School Award in the “high performance” category.
Each year, two Title I schools from North Carolina are chosen to represent the state as National Title I Distinguished Schools in the “sustained achievement” and “high performance” categories. This year, both Clear Creek Elementary and Etowah Elementary have met the eligibility requirements for consideration for the National Title I Distinguished School award in the “high performance” category.
The National Title I Distinguished School designation recognizes high student achievement in schools that have substantial poverty rates, high end-of-grade success rates, and significant growth in scores.
Approximately 10 percent of Title I schools in North Carolina are eligible to be included in the Distinguished Schools process; schools in the top 10 percent of those eligible schools – the top 1 percent of Title I schools statewide – are asked to submit portfolios for consideration for the prestigious National Title I Distinguished School Awards.
In 2016-17, the school year in which student results were analyzed for this award, there were 1,443 Title I schools in North Carolina. Of that number, only 140 Title I schools met the criteria to be considered for the award, and only 14 of those schools – including Clear Creek and Etowah elementaries – were asked to submit portfolios for the National Title I Distinguished School Awards.
About the National Title I Distinguished Schools Program
The National Title I Distinguished Schools Program recognizes Title I schools that hold students to high standards and demonstrate exemplary school effectiveness in teaching and learning based on state curriculum; implementing research-based professional development; using research-based instructional strategies; providing opportunities to all students to achieve; establishing partnerships with parents, families, and the community; and modeling success for other schools.
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