California Distinguished School

"[6] The Dashboard is not just an interface, but relevant to award criteria because it "replaces the state’s former accountability system—the Academic Performance Index (API), which relied exclusively on standardized tests and gave schools a single score.

In 2001, the Los Angeles Times wrote an article identifying complaints with the program's selection process.

Times author Jessica Garrison wrote that, at the time, the application process required that "schools must score in the top half of the state’s Academic Performance Index and write an exhaustive, 10-section application describing everything from campus culture to library services.

"[1] The critique primarily focused on the lack of incentive, resources, and recognition for lower-performing schools that make significant improvements.

The article also lamented the lack of rigorous data to back applicant's claims of student success.