Bloomingdale High School Receives National Recognition

News Report

The College Board has named Bloomingdale High School one of five schools in the nation SpringBoard Demonstration School Finalists in recognition of increased student achievement as well as outstanding instructional leadership and shared best practices by their teachers during the implementation of SpringBoard over the last three years.

SpringBoard was developed by the College Board as a college readiness program in English Language Arts and Mathematics for students in grades six through 12. It provides culturally and personally relevant activities designed to engage students in problem solving and critical analysis — creating a pre-advanced placement program that increases participation and prepares a greater diversity of students for success in AP and college. Designed to align with the Common Core State Standards, SpringBoard provides teachers with a rigorous curriculum and highly informative student assessments.

The five SpringBoard National Demonstration School Finalists have implemented SpringBoard for a minimum of two years with ongoing professional development and improved student achievement. Their teachers have established a professional learning community within the school, so they and their peers can learn from collective classroom practices and share best practices. These finalists have completed a self-assessment aligned to school-level best practices for implementation of the SpringBoard program. In addition, each school produced a brief video of SpringBoard in action, which features student, teacher and administrator interviews that highlight the benefits and successes achieved during the 2009-12 school years.

“SpringBoard engages and empowers both students and educators,” said Pamela L. Nelson, vice president and general manager of SpringBoard at the College Board. “These five outstanding schools have shown that by aiming higher, rigor can be achieved by all students.”

In addition to Bloomingdale, finalists are Gig Harbor and Peninsula high schools in Washington and Quakertown High School and Strayer Middle School in Pennsylvania.
           
“(Springboard) has provided us with a framework which ensures that all of our students are provided with a rich and rigorous curriculum. The strategies are consistent across the grade levels and are useful for the complex reading, writing and thinking needed for college and career,” said Anita Serge, principal of Quakertown High School in Pennsylvania. “We have seen incredible gains in our Pennsylvania System of School Assessment scores in addition to our AP scores. Additionally, while SAT scores are declining on a national level, our scores continue to increase.  It must be noted that this is all occurring with a population where 23 percent of our students our economically disadvantaged.”

The SpringBoard National Demonstration School winners will be announced in June.

The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.

For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.