Quote:
Originally posted by andViolins
Is the formula used to generate this list of the best high schools (number of AP tests taken at a school in 2004 and divided by the number of graduating seniors) really the most accurate way to determine the "best" high schools in the U.S.? What about graduation rates? Number of students attending college after graduation? Performance on the SATs? Benchmark tests as designed by individual states?
aV
|
I hear ya on this, and I don't disagree. The only part of the methodology I read about was something about excluding schools from consideration if they only take top students in without giving opportunities to motivated average students.
That said, I'm trying to figure out how many high schools in Fairfax and Loudoun counties VA
aren't on the list. While I'd be hard pressed to define a "good" school, I'd certainly include criteria that reflects progress made with students across incoming-ability levels.
In other words, if you are getting all the 95th percentile kids in, it shouldn't be feted that you are spitting 95th percentile kids out.
Nevertheless, I'll stipulate that these "ranking", like almost any other list of this sort, is a bunch of journalistic hogwash. I still thought there was something to the disproprortionate showing of some states though.
And, really, WTF is up with Florida?
