Irvine High School and Sierra Vista Middle School have both been named 2017 California Gold Ribbon Schools. This prestigious designation is the State’s highest recognition for public schools. Irvine and Sierra Vista were among 275 high school and middle schools statewide to receive this prestigious honor. Gold Ribbon elementary schools were recognized last year, including IUSD’s Cypress Village, Plaza Vista and Woodbury elementary schools.
The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment and accountability systems. The awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.
Schools applied for the award based on a model program their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies and practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies.
Irvine High and Sierra Vista’s model programs were Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) programs. PBIS is a framework designed to create a positive school culture by engaging students through ongoing expectations, communications and feedback between teachers, staff and students. PBIS programs foster positive academic and student behavior outcomes.
When speaking about the Gold Ribbon designation and Irvine High’s PBIS program, Principal Monica Colunga said, “Our students at Irvine High School own our values and recognize and understand that having integrity, honoring yourself and others, and having social responsibility are at the foundation of what being an Irvine Vaquero is all about.”
Sierra Vista Principal Lynn Matassarin said of the school’s Charger Way System of Supports, “We believe that our program is unique in both the scope of our supports and the manner in which we engage the students and parents as critical partners in student success.”
IUSD congratulates the teachers, staff, students and parents of these outstanding schools, who exemplify the District’s mission to provide the highest quality educational experience we can envision.