Courtesy photos.
OXNARD — Elm Street School in the Oxnard School District was only one of two schools in California to receive the 2019 Seal of Excellence Award from the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE). This award honors exemplary bilingual education programs throughout the state and schools in particular that have established effective programs for their English Learners.
“At Elm, we realize that the school belongs to the community and its charge is to include, educate, and serve the community at large,” said Leticia Ramos, principal of Elm Street School.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Elm. It is representation of success. The Seal of Excellence affirms acknowledgment of Elm faculty and students for the arduous, dedicated, and transformational work in the teaching and learning as evidenced by our student outcomes. This success is a collective effort of all stakeholders. The Elm Street School community has much to be proud of and much to celebrate. Elm is word and deed, and we will continue delivering,” said Ramos.
The award was presented to Elm Street School at the CABE Conference held on March 22, 2019 in Long Beach, Calif.
“I am extremely overjoyed to congratulate Dr. Leticia Ramos and the Elm School staff for their hard work and perseverance in making their dual language program top notch in the state of California,” said Dr. Marlene Batista, Director of English Learner Services for the Oxnard School District. “As I stated last year, Juan Soria School would be the first of many schools to receive this prestigious award from CABE and Elm Street School has proved me right. Our work will not stop until every dual language school in the Oxnard School District is recognized with this award!”
The CABE 2019 Seal of Excellence Award is one of the highest awards the organization has to recognize schools for their vision of biliteracy, their commitment towards educational excellence for all students, and their focus on providing students with the skills they will need to be successful in the 21st Century.
“Congratulations on receiving the CABE 2019 Seal of Excellence Award,” said Jan Gustafson-Corea, CEO of CABE, regarding the honor. “CABE is proud and motivated by the work you do each day to provide your students and school community with the highest caliber of education along with a strong vision for biliteracy.”
In order for a school to receive the CABE Seal of Excellence Award, certain rigorous criteria must be met by providing the following:
- Substantial evidence of the bilingual language proficiency (English and other language) and academic achievement for students in the program
- A description of the comprehensive and enriched instructional program that includes English Language Development, primary language instruction, and specially designed academic instruction in English and how it provides continuous and coherent services for all grade levels
- A description of the professional development plan for certificated staff and how staff use effective, research-based instructional strategies
- A description, with examples, of how the comprehensive curriculum for English Learners is aligned to the standards at all grade levels
- An effective school-home-community collaboration that empowers parents to become active participants in their children’s education