Out of the thousands of Indiana schools, Ball State University's Burris Laboratory School is one of eight nominated for the No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award, Burris principal Jay McGee said.
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program focuses on nation's No Child Left Behind Act and the act's reforms for high standards and accountability, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
"It's an honor, definitely, to be honored by the Indiana Department of Education for this award," McGee said.
The state nomination shows Burris is in the top 10 percent of schools in Indiana for academic performance, McGee said. If the school wins the national award, it is in the top 10 percent in the country.
The nomination process begins when the Department of Education sends each chief state school officer the number of schools that can be submitted. The amount of schools that can be submitted varies depending on the number of K-12 students and the schools in Indiana, according to the U.S. Department of Education Web site.
The department must send applications to schools that score in the top 10 percent on state tests or have at least 40 percent of its students come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Disadvantaged includes students who are eligible for free or reduced meals, who have limited English proficiency or who are migrants. Of the schools submitted, at least one-third must meet the disadvantaged criteria, according to the Department of Education Web site.
The winning schools will be announced in September. If Burris is chosen, McGee and a teacher will travel to Washington to accept a plaque and flag in honor of the school's achievement.
Burris Laboratory School was founded in 1929 as a part of Ball State University and Muncie School District by Benjamin Burris, former dean of Teachers College, according to the Burris Web site. No longer part of Muncie schools, Burris has been accepting enrollment from the entire state of Indiana since 1974.
In Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress, Burris consistently scores above the state average for public and private schools in language arts and mathematics. More than 75 percent of students have passed the ISTEP since 2000, according to the Indiana Department of Education Web site.
This year, 12 percent of Burris students receive free lunches and 9 percent receive discounted lunches, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Although Burris has above-average scores, that does not mean it will make the final cut nationally.
"We're pretty hopeful, but it's not guaranteed," McGee said.
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