Education Service Center Region 12

For Release:
February 21, 2007

Media Contact: Jennifer Marshall-Higgins
Title: Communications Coordinator
Phone: (254) 297-1198
E-mail: jhiggins@esc12.net

Eleven Region 12 Schools Receive State Recognition

WACO, TEXAS—Region 12 schools deserve a round of applause! The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently granted the 2006-2007 Title I Distinguished School Performance and Distinguished School Progress honors to 144 Texas campuses including eleven located in Region 12.

Region 12 schools earning the Distinguished Performance honor include:

Axtell Elementary – Axtell ISD
Mae Stevens Elementary – Copperas Cove ISD
Itasca Elementary and Itasca Junior High – Itasca ISD
Nolanville Elementary – Killeen ISD
Venable Village Elementary – Killeen ISD
La Vega Elementary – La Vega ISD
La Vega Primary School – La Vega ISD
Teague Elementary – Teague ISD
Kennedy-Powell Elementary – Temple ISD

Meridian Elementary – Meridian ISD earned the Distinguished Progress honor.

Education Service Center Region 12 Superintendent Liaisons will present each of the schools with a certificate of achievement on behalf of the Texas Education Agency. The presentations will be made at the districts’ upcoming school board meetings or the schools’ faculty meetings.

Distinguished Performance schools are recognized as consistently providing educational excellence, while Distinguished Progress schools are recognized for having made significant strides toward educational excellence.

The number of schools in Region 12 earning this honor grew from three in 2005-2006 to eleven for 2006-2007. Jo Dell Bland, Title I Specialist, stated “To achieve and maintain such high standards, especially in light of the standards increasing over the last several years, is an accomplishment to be celebrated by the entire region. These schools will serve as role models for other Region 12 schools to emulate.”

Bland said the schools have been invited to share the secrets of their success with other educators by completing a “School Profile” which will be publicized via the Region 12 – Title I web page. Representatives from each campus have also been invited to serve on Title I School Support Teams where (upon request) they will advise other schools on ways to improve their Title I services.

Title I is the largest of the federally funded elementary and secondary education programs and federal law requires each state to identify those Title I schools that are meeting or exceeding the state’s standards. The progress is based on the Texas school accountability system as well as the Federal accountability system and Adequate Yearly Progress ratings.

A complete list of the Title I Distinguished Schools in Texas is available at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/titleia/distingschools.html.

For more information, please contact JoDell Bland at (254) 297-1238 or jbland@esc12.net.