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7 Cosponsors:
8 Kirk A. Cullimore
Lyle W. Hillyard
Don L. Ipson
Daniel McCay
Kathleen Riebe
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10 LONG TITLE
11 General Description:
12 This bill commends four Utah schools that received the National Blue Ribbon Schools
13 award in 2019.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 ▸ describes the criteria for high-performing schools to be eligible to apply for the
17 National Blue Ribbon Schools award;
18 ▸ recognizes the three public schools and one private school in Utah that received the
19 National Blue Ribbon Schools award in 2019;
20 ▸ encourages high-performing schools in Utah to apply for the award in future years;
21 ▸ encourages the Legislature, Governor, and State Board of Education to recognize
22 Utah schools that receive the National Blue Ribbon Schools award in the future.
23 Special Clauses:
24 None
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26 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
27 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Education's National Blue Ribbon
28 Schools Program recognizes exceptional public and private elementary, middle, and high
29 schools that have achieved academic excellence or exemplary success in closing academic
30 achievement gaps;
31 WHEREAS, the Blue Ribbon Schools award affirms the diligence of students,
32 educators, families, and communities in creating a safe and nurturing school environment
33 where students and educators alike can thrive;
34 WHEREAS, to be eligible for the award, a high-performing public school must meet
35 rigorous criteria based on the state's assessment and accountability system, with the school's
36 student body performing in the top 15% and the school's student subgroups performing among
37 the top 40% of schools in the state in both English language arts and mathematics;
38 WHEREAS, the Council for American Private Education nominates private schools
39 with student achievement in English language arts and mathematics in the top 15% of schools
40 nationally and, when applicable, in the state;
41 WHEREAS, in 2019 the United States Department of Education gave this prestigious
42 award to three public schools and one private school in Utah;
43 WHEREAS, the three Utah public elementary schools that received the National Blue
44 Ribbon Schools award met rigorous academic performance criteria and also achieved
45 exemplary or commendable academic growth results on their 2018-2019 Utah School Report
46 Cards;
47 WHEREAS, Crimson View Elementary School in St. George, Utah has a STEM
48 education focus - one of the few schools in Utah to receive a platinum STEM designation from
49 the Utah STEM Action Center - and the school's focus on staff professional learning helps staff
50 work together cohesively and integrate new technologies in the classroom;
51 WHEREAS, at McMillan Elementary School in Murray, Utah, teachers and leaders
52 work together on the Building Leadership Team and in professional learning communities to
53 build a school community with a strong culture of student well-being, academic success, and
54 community;
55 WHEREAS, North Rich Elementary in Laketown, Utah has become a model for
56 reading instruction with the school's focused, data-driven reading program, and school leaders
57 took steps to improve school culture and students' readiness to learn even further by
58 incorporating civics and citizenship into instruction with a curriculum emphasizing
59 mindfulness and the Three C's: care about self, care about others, and care about community;
60 and
61 WHEREAS, students in Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah receive a
62 rigorous education focused on the whole person, including a challenging curriculum driven by
63 careful and thoughtful application of the ACCUPLACER subject proficiency and placement
64 exam:
65 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
66 Governor concurring therein, commends Crimson View Elementary School, McMillan
67 Elementary School, North Rich Elementary, and Juan Diego Catholic High School for their
68 outstanding achievement as recipients of the National Blue Ribbon Schools award.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and Governor recognize the
70 exceptional honor of having four additional schools in Utah flying the National Blue Ribbon
71 School flag over their school buildings.
72 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
73 crucial role of the many exceptionally high-performing schools in Utah in both educating the
74 youth of the state and setting high standards for other schools to follow and encourage these
75 schools to apply for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award, and urge the Legislature, the
76 Governor, and the State Board of Education to honor every school that receives this
77 distinguished award in the future.
78 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be delivered to Crimson
79 View Elementary School, McMillan Elementary School, North Rich Elementary, Juan Diego
80 Catholic High School, and the State Board of Education.