Wednesday, May 03, 2006
545 5-3
I talked to Cara today about the Newsweek article that ranks high schools according to how many students take AP tests and IB Tests per graduating student population. AHS was nowhere to be found. The top schools in Colorado were Lakewood and George Washington. So how did they come to these high rankings of mediocre schools (in my mind). Well let's say that 50% of the population drops out before graduation and of the half remaining, 50% take AP tests or IB tests, therefore that school would have a great ranking, As compared to Arapahoe with 500 graduates taking 300 Ap tests. So does someone that is moving to Colorado look at this and try to get their child into Lakewood or GW as opposed to Arapahoe? Are we seeing a shift in more and more students taking AP tests, not to get college credit, but rather because the administration wants more students to take tests, not pass them, because it would look better in this national ranking of schools?
# posted by Wallace @ 12:02 PM 
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I guess I don't worry too much about the Newsweek article. Every "serious" commentator that I've read says it's a pretty invalid way to judge a school. Yes, getting students to the point of being successful on AP or IB tests is a good thing, but it's not the only thing. And, of course, there's the numbers issue and whether these students are being successful.
Like CSAP and ACT scores, graduation and college remediation rates - this is just one piece of data that can help you evaluate a school. Ultimately, I don't think you can really evaluate a school until you spend some significant time inside of it.
Like CSAP and ACT scores, graduation and college remediation rates - this is just one piece of data that can help you evaluate a school. Ultimately, I don't think you can really evaluate a school until you spend some significant time inside of it.
I know friends of mine use the reports printed on the Department of Education website. They look at attendance, criminal activity, CSAP scores, graduation rates, etc. They do talk about the Newsweek article and many of them asked why Cherry Creek, Boulder, and Littleton schools weren't on there. I am interested with the direction it seems our school is going offering more AP classes, if we can keep the previously mentioned statistics as high.
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