Bell Intermediate was recognized as 2021 California Distinguished Schools in an announcement by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on March 18. Bell Intermediate school was among only 11 schools in Orange County and just over 100 across the state to receive the prestigious recognition. Schools are awarded for achieving exceptional student performance or closing the achievement gap.

The California Department of Education (CDE) identifies and awards eligible schools based on performance and progress on state indicators specified on the California School Dashboard, the state’s accountability, and the continuous improvement system. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates, and conditions, and climate.

Distinguished School award winners represent examples of excellent teaching, learning, and collaboration and highly successful school climate efforts ranging from real-time conflict resolution to positive behavior intervention. The Distinguished Schools award program alternates between recognizing elementary and secondary schools from year to year.

Bell Intermediate is extremely proud of our teachers and students who make our school extraordinarily special!  There has been a dedicated focus on active speaking and listening strategies across the curriculum throughout the past several years.  Students have the opportunity, using teacher-provided supports, to daily practice the language using academic English in each class, while teachers give immediate support and corrective feedback.  When students can speak about the content they are learning, their understanding of the content deepens.  Our students learn to speak like historians, scientists, musicians, athletes, mathematicians, and scholars!   Schoolwide, we have seen an increase in students’ confidence, ability, and performance.