[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 200 (Friday, December 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING ROBERT H. DOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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                           HON. JIMMY PANETTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 13, 2019

  Mr. PANETTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Robert H. Down 
Elementary School, which has been recognized as a 2019 National Blue 
Ribbon School for fostering an engaging, community-oriented learning 
environment for students on the central coast of California.
  Robert Down School has created a dynamic learning environment with an 
educational philosophy that emphasizes academic enrichment through 
community engagement and individualized learning objectives, catered to 
the emotional, social, and academic needs of each of its students. In 
addition to a rigorous academic curriculum, Robert Down Elementary 
features programs that promote learning in social-emotional studies, 
character development, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, 
Mathematics), foreign languages, vocal and instrumental music, 
journalism, visual/performing arts, and other subjects to provide 
students with a robust and multifaceted learning experience.
  In 2018, with the help of dedicated staff, courageous leadership, 
supportive family, and engaged community, all students and significant 
student groups scored in the highest band of academic performance for 
both English Language Arts and Mathematics on the California Assessment 
of Student Performance and Progress--a testament to Robert Down 
School's deep commitment to fostering a comprehensive, transformative 
learning experience for all of its students.
  Robert Down School is setting the bar for academic intervention 
programs across the country. The intervention program, which is fluid 
and adapts to students' individual needs, works both within the general 
education classroom and outside the core curricula time, in the 
community and at home, to ensure that all students are set on a path of 
academic success. Students enter reading, writing, and/or mathematics 
intervention based on diagnostic information, analysis of assessments, 
evaluation of the student's daily performance in the classroom, and 
teacher consultation. Students are given benchmark assessments three 
times a year and are provided with monthly progress monitoring to 
ensure the program's criteria is responsive to the ever-evolving needs 
of its students.
  The teachers and staff at Robert Down School are deeply committed to 
developing bright and high-achieving students. Madam Speaker, I ask 
that my colleagues join me in recognizing the achievement and hard work 
of Robert H. Down Elementary School and their well-deserved recognition 
as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School.

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