[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  RECOGNITION OF LIBERTY COMMON SCHOOL

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                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 1, 2001

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor 
Liberty Common School in Ft. Collins, Colorado, for its recent 
designation as a John Irwin Colorado School of Excellence. Liberty 
Common School, an elementary and junior high charter school, has 
received the John Irwin School of Excellence award for two consecutive 
years--an outstanding achievement for any school and a true testament 
to the high academic performance of the growing number of charter 
schools across the country.
  Administered by the Colorado Department of Education, the John Irwin 
Colorado Schools of Excellence award program rewards schools with 
exemplary academic records. Recipients of the award are recognized for 
achievement in five categories: (1) performance on the Colorado Student 
Assessment Program (CSAP); (2) multiple local measures of academic 
growth; (3) effective strategies for closing achievement gaps; (4) 
other accreditation indicators related to academic excellence; and (5) 
parent/community satisfaction. The John Irwin School of Excellence 
award is truly a distinguished honor as only nineteen schools in 
Colorado, including Liberty Common School and five other charter 
schools, received the award this year.
  Founded in 1997, Liberty Common School students have consistently 
performed near the top of state test scores in almost all grades and 
subjects. The third grade CSAP reading scores for 2001 placed 100 
percent of all Liberty Common School third graders at or above 
proficiency. In comparison, only 72 percent of the state's third 
graders and 81 percent of the school district's third grade students 
achieved similar levels of reading proficiency.
  Liberty's success can be attributed to its locally controlled 
educational program, dedicated teaching staff and committed parents. 
The school bases its academic curriculum on the Core Knowledge 
Sequence, a classical liberal curriculum encompassing the subjects of 
language arts, history, geography, mathematics, science and fine arts. 
Liberty parents are given the opportunity to help shape specific 
curriculum components and class requirements--a level of parental 
involvement not found in most traditional public schools. I commend 
Liberty Common School's Headmaster, Joe Ricciardi, and the school's 
committed board of directors, teachers and parents for their dedication 
and sacrifice, which has been critical to the school's success.
  Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to celebrate the recent 
recognition of Liberty Common School as a recipient of the John Irwin 
School of Excellence award. Liberty Common School's academic 
achievement serves as an example to this body of why we should continue 
to promote greater educational choices for parents and children across 
this country.

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