Santa Monica’s John Adams Middle School (JAMS) was recognized as being "exceptional" for both closing the achievement gap and demonstrating student performance last week when California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced that 293 middle schools and high schools had been selected across the state.
John Adams was the only school in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), which is composed of 17 in total, to be recognized in the prestigious 2024 California Distinguished Schools Program.
Schools are recognized for exceptional student performance based on achieving exemplary performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and math, reducing suspensions, and demonstrating high graduation rates (high schools only).
Schools recognized for closing the achievement gap enroll at least 40% of their students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and, in addition to demonstrating exemplary overall performance in ELA and math, achieve accelerated academic growth for one or more historically underserved student groups.
"The work that we do is centered on equity, it’s centered on doing and meeting the needs of all kids and removing as many barriers to access to quality education," Martha Diaz Chacon, Principal at John Adams, told the Daily Press, adding, "And so this is a result of that. That is the result of all of the decisions that we make rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion."
She said the work at JAMS went beyond just academics to provide a broad range of support for students who may have been struggling post-pandemic.
"So we have really dug in deep to really examine our teaching practices, examine our approach to how we address behavior and disciplinary issues, how we provide social emotional learning, and we're actually deepening the work that we do," she said. "We actually found out about this as we were working as a site leadership team talking about how we're going to continue to improve the work that we are doing right now. So I am confident that with the support of the teachers, with the support of the community and the district, what they have laid out to support us, we will continue to improve."
Specifically, schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2023 California School Dashboard and System of Support, with a focus on demonstrating excellence and growth in academic achievement and ensuring a positive school climate. Often referred to as just the "Dashboard," it’s an online tool designed to help communities across the state access easy-to-read reports that display performance information for K–12 schools and districts across the state.
Academic year-on-year analysis shows that in 2023, John Adams Middle School demonstrated a "high" level in ELA, remaining 30.6 points above standard and maintaining a 0.8 point score compared to 2022. Equally, it showed a "high" level, despite being 15.2 points below standard in mathematics, due to a 6.9 point increase over the previous year. However, the school earned a "very high" rating in English Learner Progress, with 72.9% "making progress" towards English language proficiency, an increase of 18% over 2022.
"It is my pleasure to honor and recognize these 293 secondary schools for their efforts to provide exemplary public education to all students. Excellent middle schools and high schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people," Thurmond said in a statement.
"This year’s California Distinguished Schools celebration provides us with an opportunity to recognize the hard work of our secondary educators and school staff who help our young adults discover passions and access college- and career-ready experiences that will propel them through life."
Diaz Chacon said the award is a recognition for years of work by many people at the school.
"This award has been a long time coming and this is really about the commitment of our educators, our administrators, our community partners, our counselors to really center on the needs of students, all students, but really focusing on our most marginalized students."
