Special to the Reporter

Eleven Shelby County schools were recently recognized by the State Department of Education as &8220;Honor Roll Schools&8221; for making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) two years in a row.

And Elvin Hill Elementary School was recognized for being a &8220;Gap Closer School&8221; and will receive a monetary award as part of the recognition.

According to a press release from the State Department of Education, a task force comprised of Alabama educators and stakeholders developed the Rewards and Sanctions plan for the state’s public schools.

The task force used information from 2004-05 student test data, released this past August, to determine which schools were eligible for recognition and monetary rewards.

The schools eligible are in two categories which are consistent with the Rewards and Sanctions plan approved by the State Board of Education and are consistent with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Elvin Hill Elementary was on the list of Gap Closer Schools and will receive a monetary reward of $2,950 ($450 from the state and an additional $2,500) for being a Title I school.

Elvin Hill is being recognized for closing the achievement gap of poverty students.

The 11 Shelby County Schools to be named as &8220;Honor Roll&8221; schools are: Chelsea Elementary, Helena Elementary, Helena Intermediate, Inverness Elementary, Oak Mountain High, Oak Mountain Intermediate, Oak Mountain Elementary, Pelham High, Valley Elementary, Valley Intermediate and Vincent Elementary School.

One of the principles included in the Rewards and Sanctions plan is that the criteria should reward schools that overcome the greatest challenges.

With this in mind, the following criteria were used as a result of the recommendations from this working group for identification of schools eligible for rewards based on 2004-05 test data:

1. Schools that meet or exceed AYP for two consecutive years

a. &8220;Honor Roll Schools&8221; &045; Schools that met or exceeded AYP for two consecutive years. These schools will receive recognition.

b. &8220;Meeting the Challenge Schools&8221; – Schools that met or exceeded AYP for two consecutive years and had at least 80 percent poverty rate. These schools will be rewarded $1,400 from the state. Title I schools will be rewarded an additional $7,500 from Title I.

2. Schools that close the achievement gap

a. &8220;Gap Closer Schools&8221;- Schools that significantly closed the achievement gap between student groups. These schools will be rewarded $450 from the state for each gap that is closed. Title I schools will be rewarded an additional $2,500 from Title I for each gap that is closed