Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why hasn't crazy Marshall lady piped in??!! They will have to take down their sign or was it a state ranking sign?? These rankings are wonky

The rankings are as good as the methodology and the data behind them. No better, no worse. Depending on what you're trying to measure, they can be useful or completely irrelevant.
In Marshall's case, the school made a big deal out of getting ranked #3 in the state of Virginia by US News in 2012, even though the ranking was based on a factual error as to the IB participation rate at the school. They not only featured the US News ranking on the school's web site, but wrote about it in newsletters to parents and plastered it on a huge sign on Route 7 in front of the school. The next year US News had more accurate data as to the IB participation rate, and the state ranking went from #3 to #16 - still good, but behind 10 other county schools.
Strangely, the school has a habit of touting information of dubious accuracy. The electronic billboard in front of the school now flashes a display that reads "6th Best SAT Scores in the County!" That's also wrong - TJ, Langley, Woodson, McLean, Oakton and Madison all have higher SAT scores than Marshall. It could be that someone decided to exclude TJ because it's also a state Governor's School, but TJ is operated by FCPS and roughly 80% of TJ students live in the county. I can't think of another county school that's placed such a heavy emphasis on rankings, and then have it come back and bite them.