Tulare County Office of Education - Instructional Services

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To recognize Tulare County schools or districts for effective instructional practices that are making a difference in improving student achievement, the Tulare County Office of Education created the Torch Academic Achievement Awards program. The program was conceived by Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Dr. Guadalupe Solis and the program managers within his division who work directly with school districts supporting their instructional efforts. For example, Instructional Services programs, such as Educational Resource Services (ERS), are directly involved in supporting academic achievement through countywide teacher training and professional development, assessment and evaluation of instructional programs.

The schools or districts receiving the Torch Award were nominated by the Instructional Services Program Manager based on the following criteria:

Achievement, based on measurable data, such as a schools' Academic Performance Index scores;
An innovation that has contributed to academic growth, such as student interventions, an attendance program, etc.; and/or
A successful partnership with parents, businesses or an outside educational agency.

"All Tulare County schools are working hard to realize consistent academic growth for their students," says County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak. "The Torch Awards are a way to highlight those schools that have instituted innovative programs to achieve academic growth. Through these awards, we hope to encourage other schools to study the winning programs and utilize the practices that might improve their own instructional efforts."

Torch Best Practices Booklet
Dr. Ceballos, the program managers and instructional consultants within the division who work directly to support school instructional efforts have collected short descriptions of the practices the award recipients are utilizing. These "best practices" for 2011 award recipients have been compiled into a booklet.

Nominating a School
Programs within the Instructional Services Division may nominate any Tulare County school or district. Learn how to nominate a school.

Sustaining the Flame Award
The Sustaining the Flame Award was created in 2011 for past Torch Award recipients that continue to show significant gains in academic performance. Award winners are listed with the Torch Award Winners linked by year below.

Winners, Present and Past
View lists of all of the winners:

For more information on the Torch Academic Achievement Awards, contact Dr. Guadalupe Solis at (559) 733-6328.

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