Edison Language Academy has been selected by the California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) as one of 871 public schools in California to receive the title of 2012 Honor Roll Star School, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced earlier this week.
CBEE Star Schools are those with significant populations of socio-economically disadvantaged students that have shown a significant increase in grade-level proficiency over time.
Schools receiving this distinction from the California business community have demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.
“We are so proud that Edison Language Academy has been recognized by California’s business community as an Honor Roll Star School for the third consecutive year,” said Sandra Lyon, SMMUSD Superintendent. “Our teachers and administrators work tirelessly to keep the focus on high expectations and student academic achievement and to continuously improving our practices. This hard work and dedication is paying off for all of our students, no matter their background.”
Edison Language Academy Principal Lori Orum noted that Edison is a dual immersion school that fosters bilingualism in English and Spanish for all students.
“Dual immersion schools are designed to provide an enriched and rigorous curriculum for all students while developing students’ proficiency in two languages. Edison students learn together through two languages,” said Orum.
Now in its 26th year as an immersion school, Edison is one of three schools in SMMUSD’s Language Academy, providing a 90-10 dual immersion program for students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade.
Students continue on to John Adams Middle School and then to Santa Monica High School where they can continue to take both Spanish and one or two other subject matter courses in Spanish through twelfth grade.