Shipley’s Choice Elementary School today earned the nation’s top educational honor by being named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools has now had 18 schools earn National Blue Ribbon honors, including 10 in the last 10 years and five in the last three years.
Shipley’s was among six public schools in Maryland and 342 across the nation to receive the award today. All six Maryland schools were named state Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence in December.
“Shipley’s Choice typifies a great community school in which everyone plays a part in the success of all students,” Superintendent George Arlotto said. “This honor not only is a tremendous testament to the work that the school’s incredible staff and students do, but also to the contributions that the broader school community make every day.”
Shipley’s Choice has historically been among the highest-performing schools in Maryland on statewide assessments. In the 2015-2016 school year, more than 89 percent of the school’s third- through fifth-graders scored a 4 or 5 – the level designated as indicating students are on pace to be College and Career Ready – on the PARCC Math assessment, and nearly 88 percent hit that mark on the English/Language Arts assessment. More than 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 5 scored proficient or advanced on the Maryland School Assessment, the precursor to PARCC, in each of the final four years of the assessment.
A complete list of National Blue Ribbon Schools can be found here.