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CHISD BRAY ELEMENTARY BLUE RIBBON NOMINEE
One of 13 Texas Schools in High Achieving Category
Cedar Hill, TX. – January 11, 2012 – Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott nominated Bray Elementary in Cedar Hill, Texas one of 26 schools for the 2012 Blue Ribbon School recognition. Bray Elementary is recognized in the “High Achieving” category for schools that have demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap with an economically disadvantaged population of 40 percent or greater. Bray is one of only 13 out of 6000 Texas school listed in this “High Achieving” category. The T.E.A. has rated Bray Elementary ‘Exemplary’ 12 out of the last 15 years. 62 percent of its student population is on free or reduced lunch. 100 percent of Bray’s third ad fourth graders passed the TAKS reading and math tests last year.
“We continually strive to leave a legacy for the community in all that we do,” said Robert Johansen, Principal at Bray Elementary. “This accolade reaffirms the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our students, parents, and staff.”
The nominated schools will have to complete a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Education. The winners will be announced during the Blue Ribbon School conference in Washington D. C. in September 2012.
The Cedar Hill school district started building an orchestra program after Bray Elementary principal Robert Johansen felt it was important for all of his elementary students to learn to play a string instrument. “We used $10,000 of the Bray campus budget to purchase a classroom set of instruments. Through community donations we now have enough instruments for 70 students to perform in a concert. All students at Bray get two classes a week of string instrument instruction,” said Johansen. “Research shows there is a direct correlation between fine arts and increased student achievement in reading and math.” A study by the Texas Music Educators Association showed that campuses with a higher percentage of student enrollments in fine arts courses achieved higher academic ratings and reported higher graduation rates.
Bray students also rank high on a national online math competition called Voyager Math (V-Math). Instead of playing video games, Bray students are playing math games and keeping score. During the past year Bray students have ranked as high as 7th in the nation in the V-Math competition.
About Cedar Hill ISD: CHISD has 8100 students and is rated as a Recognized school district by the Texas Education Agency. The Texas State Comptrollers Office awarded Cedar Hill Independent School District a 4.5 in its five-star rating system for its Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST). FAST identifies school districts that use best practices to operate efficiently, while achieving strong academic performance. The district has maintained an AA- financial bond rating from Standard and Poor’s as well as Fitch Ratings for the past two years.
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