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- Who is eligible to receive the President's Education Awards?
- Who can download and print the President's Education Awards Program (PEAP) materials and place an order for pins?
- What are the selection criteria for the President's Education Awards (Excellence and Achievement)?
- Still have questions about the Awards Programs?

“Graduating” Elementary, middle, and high school students (including homeschool students) are eligible to be considered for one of the following President's Education Awards:

The **President's Award for Educational Excellence** - recognizes a student's academic success in the classroom.

The **President's Award for Educational Achievement** - recognizes students who show outstanding educational growth, improvement, commitment to or intellectual development in their academic subjects - but do not meet the criteria for the President's Award for Educational Excellence.

*This Achievement award should not be compared to the President's Award for Educational Excellence or be seen as a second-tier award; it recognizes a very different type of academic achievement.  It is meant to encourage and reward students who work hard and give their best effort in school, often in the face of special obstacles to learning.*

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ONLY school principals, teachers, homeschool, and other school personnel may download and print Excellence and Achievement certificates, as well as congratulatory letters from the President and Secretary of Education and order Pins and other PEAP related products.

- View, Download and print PEAP certificates as well as congratulatory letters by visiting   https://www2.ed.gov/programs/presedaward/awards.html
- View and order Pins and other PEAP related products – Excellence and Achievement for elementary, middle and high school, graduation cords, and other PEAP related products by visiting  https://www.services-naesp.org/peap/t-main.aspx

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**Eligibility**  Awards are given to students who are graduating from elementary, middle or high schools that meet the criteria below.

**President's Award for Educational EXCELLENCE (Gold Seal Certificate)**

*Selection Criteria****The school principal plays leading role and has sole discretion in choosing recipients for their school in accordance to their state grading scale***

This award recognizes academic success in the classroom. To be eligible, students must meet requirements, including grade point average or, school-set criteria and choice of state tests or teacher recommendations. Students at each award level (elementary, middle, or high school) must meet the requirements in Category A and either 1 or 2 of Category C. If a school does not have letter grades, a student must meet the requirements in Category B and either 1 or 2 of Category C.

- Grade Point Average: Students are to earn a grade point average of 90 on a 100 point scale, (an A on a letter scale or a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale). When computing grade point averages at the respective award level, only the years at that level are to be included through the fall semester of the exiting grade. Note: Elementary schools are not to include K-3 in their computations.
- School Criteria/Standards: Standards for the award are to be established by each school that reflect a 90 percent level or higher on the traditional grading scale. This category enables school personnel to use new assessment and evaluation tools in developing award criteria at their school and apply the criteria fairly to all students. The primary indicators of excellence must be based on academic achievement. School personnel may also consider, as part of the criteria, activities in which a student demonstrates high motivation, initiative, integrity, intellectual depth, leadership qualities and/or exceptional judgment. They may also require student essays and outstanding attendance, but these activities must bear some relationship to the academic performance of a student.
- In addition to A or B, schools are to include one or more of the following criteria to determine their selected students: 

- State Tests and Nationally-Normed Achievement Tests: High achievement in reading or math on state tests or nationally-normed tests. The school may consider college admissions examinations for seniors, for example the SAT or ACT.

— OR —

- Recommendations from a Teacher Plus One Other Staff Member: One recommendation is to reflect outstanding achievement such as English, mathematics, science, history, geography, art, foreign language, and any other courses that reflect a school's core curriculum. This judgment is to be supported by tangible evidence that is comprised of either results on teacher-made tests, portfolio assessment, or special projects. The second recommendation from a school staff member may address, for example: involvement in community service or co-curricular activities including tutoring other students and/or demonstration of creativity and achievement in the visual and performing arts.

**President's Award for Educational ACHIEVEMENT (Silver Seal Certificate)**

*Selection Criteria****Please note the principal plays a leading role and has sole discretion in choosing recipients***

This award recognizes students that show outstanding educational growth, improvement, commitment or intellectual development in their academic subjects but do not meet the criteria for the Educational Excellence Award. Its purpose is to encourage and reward students who give their best effort, often in the face of special obstacles. **Criteria for this award is developed at each school.**

  This award is given at the principal's discretion based on the criteria developed at the school. The criteria should reflect the purpose of the award and must be applied fairly to all students.

The following are examples of criteria for which the President's Award for Educational Achievement may be presented:

- Show tremendous growth but did not meet all the criteria for the President's Award for Educational Excellence.
- Demonstrate unusual commitment to learning in academics despite various obstacles.
- Maintain a school record that would have met the school's selection criteria for the President's Award for Educational Excellence, but illness, personal crisis, or special needs prevented the student from maintaining such high standards despite hard work.
- Achieve high scores or show outstanding growth, improvement, commitment or intellectual development in particular subjects, such as English, math, science, etc.
- Demonstrate achievement in the arts such as music or theater.

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Please contact PEAP@ed.gov.

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