Dear Parents,

If you haven't heard by now, we recently received great news. Baymonte was one of only 214 schools in the nation to receive the No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Award from the Federal Department of Education.

Our dedicated staff and hard working students share the credit for this honor. In order to qualify for the application we had to demonstrate that Baymonte students tested in the top 10% of all students nationwide on nationally normed standardized achievement tests. In fact, our students ranked in the top 10% of all students taking the Stanford Achievement Test for the past three years.

In the application process we had to provide detailed curriculum information, how we used assessment data to understand and improve student performance, how parents are kept informed of student achievement, and instructional methods used to improve student achievement.

We were eligible to apply for Blue Ribbon School status for the first time last year because the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) recently joined the Council for American Private Education (CAPE). CAPE is the organization responsible for nominating private schools to the Department of Education for the Blue Ribbon School Award. Baymonte was one of six ACSI schools to receive the award.

The Blue Ribbon School program has been in place since 1982, however its emphasis has changed. Secretary of Education Rod Paige explained this shift in his September 17th announcement: "In keeping with the principles of the No Child Left Behind Act, we are rewarding schools based on student achievement results, not process, "Paige said. "Starting this year, the program has a new name - No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools - and it recognizes schools that produce results for all of their students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or zip code."

Later this month Mrs. Jones and I will attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C. where we will be presented with our award. Meanwhile, we are in the process of planning a celebration to honor our students and faculty for this important achievement. Our entire school community should be proud of this recognition; this is an honor our children earned.

In Christ,
Steve Patterson