Sept. 10, 2008 - Loudonville Elementary School’s academic excellence has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which named Loudonville a 2008 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon School.

The Education Department announced on Tuesday that Loudonville was one of just 20 schools in New York State to receive the highly selective Blue Ribbon designation, which honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate extraordinary gains in student achievement. Loudonville was recognized for its high academic performance.

Principal Kerry Flynn said the award is a credit not just to the outstanding performance by Loudonville students, but also to the exceptional work being done by the entire school staff on behalf of students. She also credited support from district officials and their persistent efforts to improve programs and student performance.

“It’s recognition for the district as a whole and for the outstanding program development and curriculum support at the elementary level,” she said. Flynn will travel to Washington, D.C., in October for the national award ceremony.
 

The Blue Ribbon Program was created 26 years ago. During that time, Shaker High School was named a Blue Ribbon School in 1985, Shaker Junior High School received the award twice, in 1993 and 2000, and Southgate Elementary received the award in 1997.

Loudonville received the Blue Ribbon designation as a result of several years of outstanding student performance on the New York State math and English Language Arts assessments. Loudonville’s scores were among the top 10 percent of elementary schools for the 2006-07 school year. Highlights of Loudonville students’ performance include:

• Percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards on the 2006-07 NYS English Language Arts assessments: third-graders, 98 percent; fourth-graders, 92 percent; fifth-graders, 93 percent.

• Percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards on the 2006-07 NYS Math assessments: third-graders, 100 percent; fourth-graders, 98 percent; fifth-graders, 92 percent; sixth-graders, 97 percent.

• Fourth-graders improved their mean score on the math test by 34 points between the 2003-04 and 2006-07 school years. The mean score was 674 in 2003 and 708 in 2007.

In the school’s application, Flynn chose to highlight Loudonville’s extensive music program, through which students learn to sing, dance, speak, listen, play instruments, write, compose, read, use technology and improvise.
 

Superintendent Randy Ehrenberg said the award and assessment results show that students, teachers, Board of Education members, district administrators and staff are committed to providing a top-notch education at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
 

“The North Colonie Central School District is a community that places a high value on quality education for its students,” Ehrenberg said. “That attitude has been and always will be foremost in our minds as we develop and refine our programs and curriculum.”
 

For more information about the Blue Ribbon Program, visit: http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/awards.html