HJM Elementary in Port Lavaca and Port O’Connor Elementary in Port O’Connor have been selected by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Institute for Productivity in Education (IPE) as two of 713 public schools in Texas to receive the title of 2015 Honor Roll school.

The Honor Roll is part of a national effort to identify higher-performing schools and highlight successful practices that improve outcomes for students. Schools receiving this distinction from leaders in the Texas academic and business communities have demonstrated consistent high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement levels over time and reduction in achievement gaps among student populations.

The Honor Roll is comprised of two different awards, the “Star Schools” Award and “Scholar Schools” Award. Both HJM Elementary and Port O’Connor Elementary were recognized as Star Schools. Star Schools are those with significant populations of socio-economically disadvantaged students that have shown a significant increase in grade-level proficiency over time. Scholar Schools are schools that are showing significant levels of academic achievement, but do not have a significant socio-economically disadvantaged student population.

“We are proud to be recognized by the Texas business community,” said Dr. James Cowley, Calhoun County ISD Superintendent of Schools. “Our teachers and administrators work diligently to improve student academic achievement practices. This hard work and dedication is paying off for all of our students.”

“The connection between economic and educational productivity is very real and critically important,” says Charles Miller, chairman of the Institute for Productivity in Education (IPE). “Shining a light on schools that work is a great first step, but we must also learn more about their financial data if we want the biggest bang for our education buck. With accurate academic and financial data, Texas can build a system that rewards productivity by giving schools the flexibility to reallocate resources for maximum student benefit. The Honor Roll is a powerful start.”

“The American education system has a secret. Many schools are doing well … the Honor Roll proves it. Students are achieving at higher levels than anyone admits and more students than ever are succeeding when given the opportunity,” said Jim Lanich, ERP president and CEO. “All schools, no matter what zip code they are in, can achieve this kind of success and leadership from the business community is critical to ensuring successes for all students.”

The annual Honor Roll award is made possible by support from numerous businesses and organizations including State Farm, AAA, Macy’s, Wells Fargo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the and several private foundations.

A full list of the Honor Roll schools can be found at http://edresults.org/HonorRoll/HonorRoll?State=TX