Washington, Sep 22 -  

Today, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings named Brown’s Ferry Elementary School of Georgetown as one of four schools in South Carolina to be selected in the 2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either dramatically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

“I am extremely proud of Brown’s Ferry Elementary School for their exemplary performance under No Child Left Behind,” Brown said. “The students and teachers deserve our congratulations for their hard work.”

When selecting Blue Ribbon Schools, the Department of Education uses three criteria:

ü Schools with at least 40% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve performance on state tests;

ü Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10% of their state on state tests; or

ü Private schools that achieve in the top 10% of the nation.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and language arts and mathematics. Each state sets its own academic standards and benchmark goals.