Story compliments of NorthJersey.com
by Kim Lueddeke
Lodi’s Hilltop Elementary School – which has consistently met its state educational benchmarks – has been recognized by state and national officials for educators’ efforts there.
School district officials recently learned that the prekindergarten-through-fifth-grade school has been named a 2011 National Title I Distinguished School for Exceptional Student Performance for Two or More Years, a mouthful of an honor that comes with a welcome prize: $10,000.
Winning schools are selected by their states. The award itself is bestowed by the National Title I Association, a non-profit dedicating to improving and implementing the Title I program, which provides funding to schools and districts to aid economically disadvantaged students.
The award is given to schools that have a poverty rate of at least 35 percent, and that have either met or exceeded their state’s standards for adequate yearly progress (AYP) two years in a row or more, or have “significantly” closed the achievement gap between student groups.
Fifty-three percent of Hilltop Elementary’s students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of family income, said the school’s principal, Glenn Focarino. He added that the school had always met the state’s AYP goals, which are primarily based on students’ scores on state standardized tests.
Focarino credited the school’s achievements on several factors: his team of teachers, weekend educational challenges, an emphasis on technology and high expectations for students.
Educators often use the Web-based program Study Island, which helps students prepare for standardized test-taking, to issue academic challenges. If students successfully complete the challenges, they are awarded special prizes, such as Chipwiches served by teachers, Focarino said. (Prizes are often paid for by the school’s Parent Teacher Association, Focarino said.)
The school has also made technology a priority. Besides the school’s physical computer lab, Focarino said the school has two computer carts with laptops for student use.
“The kids are really into technology,” Focarino said. Capitalizing on that interest helps foster students’ interest in education, the principal believes.
“We are big believers in making learning fun…I think that’s half the battle,” Focarino said.
For their efforts, school officials will be awarded $10,000, which educators hope to use to enhance the school’s technology, Focarino said.
Officials will also be honored this March at the annual New Jersey Effective Practices Conference, where they are expected to make a presentation. A “Collaborative Assessment for Planning and Achievement” visit will also be conducted to study the school’s practices, according to an email from the state Department of Education’s Title I office.
This is not the first time a Lodi school has received such an honor. In 2009, Thomas Jefferson Middle School was also named a Title I Distinguished School.