Program Categories
The Golden Bell Awards program recognizes exemplary programs in 19 major categories, which are essential to support teaching and learning. Judging will take place in each of the following program categories:
- Curriculum
Programs may be submitted in any of the following curricular areas:
Career Technical Education
English/Language Arts/Reading
History/Social Science
Mathematics
Science
Visual and Performing Arts
Other Content Areas - English Language Acquisition
Includes programs which effectively assist students in transitioning from their primary language to English. - Instruction
Includes models that utilize interdisciplinary teaching, thematic instruction, learning styles/multiple intelligences, technology and/or other innovative or exemplary instructional strategies and integrated programs. - Early Childhood Education
Includes all programs that are developmentally appropriate for pre-kindergarten aged children, collaborates with cities/counties for educationally relevant child care; and Head Start programs. - Professional Development and Teacher Recruitment/Retention
Includes all professional development programs for staff, including teachers, administrators and classified personnel. This includes beginning teacher support and assessment programs, as well as intern and credentialing programs. Recruitment programs include those that have proven success in retaining teachers in the district and obtain successful strategies to attract and preserve teachers in critical shortage areas. - Accountability/Assessment
Includes models/techniques for assessing student achievement and/or program effectiveness on a districtwide basis and for ensuring district accountability. - Bridging the Achievement Gap
This category addresses efforts to ensure that the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students, English language learners and other ethnic sub-groups of students are moving toward the highest-performing students in the school or district. Such efforts include intervention strategies, meaningful disaggregation of student performance data,professional development, etc. - Technology
Includes the use of technology as an instructional tool which engages students in the curriculum, helps equip them for an increasingly technological society and job market and provides greater access to educational services. - Invigorating High Schools
Includes programs to enhance student learning and engagement at the high school level, such as career connections; enriched curriculum; enhanced student engagement efforts; and innovative use of schedules and school calendars. - Partnerships and Collaboratives*
Includes collaborations between school districts, county offices of education, cities and counties to strengthen instructional supports for students and/or maximize resources and community support. Also includes partnerships with schools and businesses or community-based organizations. - Student Services
Includes, but is not limited to, on campus student service centers, parent education programs, counseling and intervention programs, peer assistance and nutrition programs. - School Safety
Includes programs that effectively prevent or reduce school violence by promoting a positive school climate, teaching students to resolve conflicts and/or other prevention or intervention strategies. - Parental/Community Involvement
Includes programs which encourage or facilitate parental involvement in their child’s education, including outreach to diverse parent communities. - Collaboratives
Includes county services to school districts, regional consortia and alternative education programs. - Special Education†
Includes programs designed to meet the needs of special education students, including children from birth to age 5. - Focus on Middle Grades
Includes programs to meet the unique needs of middle school students, including student engagement in school; school configurations; professional development; relevant curriculum; articulation with grade school and high school; and academic/social support systems. - Juanita Haugen Memorial Award for Civic Education
Includes comprehensive strategies to engage students in the democratic process; collaborations with civic organizations to advance civic education and/or programs; opportunities for hands-on civic engagement experiences; etc. - Sustainable, Renewable, Energy and Resource Efficient Programs
This category includes programs that incorporate “green” practices into school operations and facilities; curricula and activities that promote environmental awareness principles and resource conservation; etc.
This category is sponsored by Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost. In addition to sponsoring this category, Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost is proud to offer the “Going Green” scholarship for winning programs that are site-based and student led.
- Wellness
This category includes programs that address critical health issues and their link to student academic achievement, such as physical education and activity, nutrition, mental health, oral health, diabetes, indoor air quality, asthma and more; efforts to expand school wellness policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; collaborative and coordinated school health approaches and other successful strategies in creating healthier students and school communities; etc.
*The Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership is holding its 2010 California Community Partnership Award program
this year in conjunction with the CSBA Golden Bell Awards. Entries in the Partnerships and Collaboratives category of the Golden Bell program that feature collaboration with other local government agencies are eligible.
Community Partnership Award winners will be selected from among the Golden Bell winners in this category and honored with this additional award from the CCS Partnership at the Golden Bell Awards Luncheon in December.
The CCS Partnership is sponsored by CSBA, the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties. For more information regarding the California Community Partnership Awards, visit the CCS Partnership Web site at www.ccspartnership.org or call 916.323.6011.
†Programs submitted in this category will also be considered for a California Special Education Commission
GOAL award. The California Advisory Commission on Special Education created the Grazer Outstanding Achievement Learning (GOAL) award program. The GOAL award is one of many activities that celebrate the special education youth of all age groups.