New Great Schools ratings out and kind of surprising....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced that greatschools does more harm than good at this point. Too many people use it as a shorthand way to assess school quality without looking at anything other than the number or knowing how that number is given. It's a measure of student's average performance on SOLs compared to average performance at other schools in the state - nothing more, nothing less. To say a school is good or bad based only at that data point is stupid.

Being able to pass the SOLs --- which is the basis for the curriculum in the state -- is a measure of how well the curriculum is being taught and being learned by the students. It does have value. It may not be the ONLY piece of info that tells whether the teachers are teaching and/or the students are learning. But it is an objective measurement that can be compared across schools in a state.

These ratings were updated in the last week to reflect the SOLs taken LAST spring. Before this, the ratings were based on the passrates for the 2014 tests.

To the PP who likes to insult me and demand info at the same time --- go find the info on Woodson yourself, @ss. Apparently Woodson people are not capable of finding their own info.

But the greatschools number tells you next to nothing about the overall pass rates at the school - it's just a dumbed down percentile ranking. For example, all schools in the state could have pass rates of between 95 and 99 percent, but some schools will still end up with ratings of 1 or 2 because their pass rate was 95 instead of 99. Now, I know the gap isn't actually that small statewide, but unless you spend some time digging into the numbers, you won't know. Having a single number numerical rating discourages people from being analytical and doing research. An even bigger problem with relying on a percentile ranking is that it tells you nothing about the distribution of test performance at that school. You could have wide variance is performance of across the board performance similar to the average. Again, you just don't know if you begin and end with a number between 1 and 10 that is applied to the entire school.

[Anonymous]

We are at one of the "9" schools.

Aren't the math zcores a bit skewed? In our pyramid, all but the lowest kids take the Algebra SOLs in middle school, and almost all of the top students take the Geometry SOLs in middle school.too. those scores from the higher performing students are included on the middle school ranking, not the high schools.

The high school students who are taking Algebra SOLs, at least in our pyramid, are the ones who struggle the most in algebra. Tueor scores are going to lower, at least in Algebra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marshall = West Springfield = 9 = more kids passing their SOLs than kids at Langley, McLean, etc., etc (interesting).

Langley = McLean = Lake Braddock = Chantilly = Madison = Oakton = Robinson ==> all "8"s based on their SOL passrates.

In the middle range are South County (7). Fairfax = Centreville, (6).... and Westfield = Hayfield = Herndon = Edison = South Lakes = 5

Annandale = Falls Church = 4


Lee = West Potomac = Mt. Vernon =3.... and poor little Stuart = 2.

On the whole, Fairfax County (as a district) rates a 6 -- so slightly above the mean point for all districts in Va. Not exactly the shining star district that we like to think. FCPS has some high flyer schools and some bottom dweller schools. It's definitely NOT all exceptional.


I know some people like to say "well the SAT scores at ____ are better than they are at ____" -- and there is some validity to the argument that high SAT scores reflect greater intelligence... but there is also a direct and linear correlation b/t HHI and SAT scores. Google the charts on that.

Just find it very interesting that the presumed "best" schools aren't getting their kids to pass the SOLs at a rate greater than other schools that are not so grandly regarded in FCPS.

We have been downt is road before. The more math SOLs that are taken in some of the higher ranked high school have already been taken by the high and medium flyers at the 8's that you mention. So, it is only the lower RA ranked math students that are measured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at one of the "9" schools.

Aren't the math zcores a bit skewed? In our pyramid, all but the lowest kids take the Algebra SOLs in middle school, and almost all of the top students take the Geometry SOLs in middle school.too. those scores from the higher performing students are included on the middle school ranking, not the high schools.

The high school students who are taking Algebra SOLs, at least in our pyramid, are the ones who struggle the most in algebra. Tueor scores are going to lower, at least in Algebra.

I was going to post this, too, but you beat me to it.

In APS, Yorktown is a GS 7 and W-L is a 6, but the Marshall poster is smoking crack if he thinks the apparent fixation on SOLs at that school is going to attract people away from APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced that greatschools does more harm than good at this point. Too many people use it as a shorthand way to assess school quality without looking at anything other than the number or knowing how that number is given. It's a measure of student's average performance on SOLs compared to average performance at other schools in the state - nothing more, nothing less. To say a school is good or bad based only at that data point is stupid.

Being able to pass the SOLs --- which is the basis for the curriculum in the state -- is a measure of how well the curriculum is being taught and being learned by the students. It does have value. It may not be the ONLY piece of info that tells whether the teachers are teaching and/or the students are learning. But it is an objective measurement that can be compared across schools in a state.

These ratings were updated in the last week to reflect the SOLs taken LAST spring. Before this, the ratings were based on the passrates for the 2014 tests.

To the PP who likes to insult me and demand info at the same time --- go find the info on Woodson yourself, @ss. Apparently Woodson people are not capable of finding their own info.

If you start a thread with spit and vinegar, you are going to get it back in the responses.

[Anonymous]

Enough with the drama. Woodson is an 8 as well.

[Anonymous]

YORKTOWN IS A 7!!!!
bwahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!

[Anonymous]

Anyone who is so misinformed as to believe that WSHS and Marshal are better than Langley Oakton or Madison is an sn individual who will be saddened quickly with the actual facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is so misinformed as to believe that WSHS and Marshal are better than Langley Oakton or Madison is an sn individual who will be saddened quickly with the actual facts.

With the exception of Langley & TJ, all of the schools that are usually ranked in the top ten, including the ones you listed above, are all very comparable.

Oakton and Madison especially.

[Anonymous]

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

^^ the kids would use that as an example of " butt hurt". Just so as ya know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

^^ the kids would use that as an example of " butt hurt". Just so as ya know.

NP here. Maybe the "butt hurt" is your reaction to others not thinking GS ratings are nearly as important as you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

^^ the kids would use that as an example of " butt hurt". Just so as ya know.

NP here. Maybe the "butt hurt" is your reaction to others not thinking GS ratings are nearly as important as you do.

Funny. The the "exclusive" " desirable" " coveted" zipcode boosters are always throwing around the data... Sucks when it doesn't match up with your delusions of grandeur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

^^ the kids would use that as an example of " butt hurt". Just so as ya know.

NP here. Maybe the "butt hurt" is your reaction to others not thinking GS ratings are nearly as important as you do.

Funny. The the "exclusive" " desirable" " coveted" zipcode boosters are always throwing around the data... Sucks when it doesn't match up with your delusions of grandeur.

You poor baby. So much resentment, and these GS scores aren't even going to begin to make you feel better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Given the amount of time that is spent in preparation for SOL's, I would say the data point is highly relevant. PSAT/SAT scores, which are prepped for out of school, are less relevant.

Honestly, I am willing to believe that McLean, Langley, etc. do not spend much time on SOL preparation. They know their students will pass so they are moving on to other things. If their students score lower, it is probably due to some detail oriented questions that they have not studied for. So what. I actually think they are much better off taking the approach of not prepping for SOLs and spending time on higher level studies.

+1 I teach at one of the schools mentioned in the 8 category, and we spend zero time "prepping" for the test. It's not a focus for us.