El Morro, TOW Tops in Their Class
By COURTENAY NEARBURG

Both Top of the World and El Morro Elementary schools were nominated last week as California Distinguished Schools, scoring some of the highest marks in the state among 327 other nominees.

After visits next month from state validation teams to verify the two schools' applications, an officialannouncement of the Distinguished School designations is expected on April 15.

According to district Superintendent Robert Fraisse, Top of the World earned a perfect ranking with eight of eight possible points and El Morro came in with a score of 7.8.

Principals at both schools credited consistent implementation of support programs in recent years as the deciding factor in the nominations.

Ron LeMotte, Top of the World principal and a 17-year LBUSD veteran, outlined three programs that he believed dovetailed with state guidelines for schools deserving of the Distinguished School designation. The district-wide initiatives include professional learning communities, where teachers share best practices; a response to intervention program, where student weaknesses are pinpointed early; and positive behavioral instructional support, campus rules that emphasize accountability.

Both LeMotte and Chris Duddy, four-year principal of El Morro and a former principal of Thurston Middle School, praised district leaders for committing to programs for several years, allowing the initiatives to be effective.

Duddy noted that El Morro received the Distinguished School designation 20 years ago, but this is the first nomination since. Duddy was principal at Thurston in 2003 when the middle school earned its Distinguished School designation. Top of the World's nomination is the first ever for the elementary school.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think both schools will be excellent candidates for National Blue Ribbon," ventured Fraisse, referring to a similar federal designation. "We will compete very well." Fraisse, who started work July 1, called the two elementary schools "some of the finest in the state," adding that the dual nominations were a "credit to everyone who has been before me."

"I've never seen two schools so well-balanced around the 'whole child' curriculum," said Fraisse, referring to an integrated curriculum that includes arts and sciences. In an atmosphere of teamwork, the schools were effectively "educating the left and the right brain simultaneously," Fraisse said.

Laguna Beach High School earned the California Distinguished School award last year, and this year is competing to be named a nationwide Blue Ribbon school.

According to Duddy, 1,500 schools in California were eligible for the nomination this year. Last September, El Morro was notified of its eligibility. After a rigorous application process, both schools were contacted last week with the news of their nominations.

LeMotte described the professional learning community (PLC) initiative as transformative for TOW teachers, who share information, tools and techniques with each other in monthly meetings. El Morro teachers also meet several times a year with their grade-level peers at TOW as part of the initiative, ensuring that the quality of education provided is consistent at both schools, Fraisse said.

Response to intervention (RtI) allows schools to identify individual learning weaknesses among students and address those problems early, before a student falls too far behind to catch up, according to LeMotte. "We don't wait for kids to fail. We diagnose weaknesses and respond to that special need with assessments and special assistance when necessary."

The RtI program is a national initiative introduced by No Child Left Behind legislation, designed to work in the special education classroom. However, LeMotte and others recognized the benefit the program had to offer all students. Top of the World is in its third year offering RtI. El Morro employs RtI as well.

Positive Behavioral Instructional Support is a system of campus-wide rules.

Students are given a two-day introduction and demonstration to the ABCs of PBIS. Rule A is act responsibly; B is be prepared to learn; and the third rule, C, is care for yourself and others. When behavioral problems arise, the ABCs provide a framework for constructive conversation about inappropriate behavior.

PBIS fosters a "common understanding," LeMotte said, that creates a school-wide consensus among students and faculty about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

"All of these systems fittogether and support each other," LeMotte said. They address the academic, social and emotional needs of each and every child, he said.