Marshall "3rd for Best School"

[Anonymous]

So far only one Marshall poster--ever--has managed to say, yeah, it's not 99% and the admin should not have run with that 3rd ranking but otherwise it's a great school and here's why.
Instead the Marshall posters almost uniformly either cite the 3rd ranking as valid or attack the posters pointing out the bad data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not as familiar with all the schools in Fairfax County as you seem to be, so maybe I am placing too much emphasis on rankings to help us decide. From the responses, it seems likely that the high "3rd for best school" ranking for Marshall was based on "bad data" and that school officials knew this and publicized it anyway. As someone with a research background, that troubles me, as it raises questions about academic integrity and the values the school seeks to promote among its students. At this point we plan to look elsewhere and will be crossing Pimmit Hills and Marshall off our list of options.

I am so relieved to hear that! Pimmit Hills is a lovely, multicultural neighborhood with a perfect mix of older, original owners and young families, blue and white collar workers, and new and older homes. Marshall's "academic integrity and the values the school seeks to promote among its students" are outstanding, and my kids thrived there and then went on to great colleges where both recieved academic scholarships as a result of rigorous IB preparation. I love the character of my neighborhood -- and neighbors -- and am happy you pass us over. The longer we fly under the radar, the longer it will take for us to be overrun by snots like you.

ditto! buh bye

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far only one Marshall poster--ever--has managed to say, yeah, it's not 99% and the admin should not have run with that 3rd ranking but otherwise it's a great school and here's why.
Instead the Marshall posters almost uniformly either cite the 3rd ranking as valid or attack the posters pointing out the bad data.

That's not necessarily because everyone is standing by the data as accurate...it's just that no one cares but you. It's time for you to let it go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So far only one Marshall poster--ever--has managed to say, yeah, it's not 99% and the admin should not have run with that 3rd ranking but otherwise it's a great school and here's why.
Instead the Marshall posters almost uniformly either cite the 3rd ranking as valid or attack the posters pointing out the bad data.

That's not necessarily because everyone is standing by the data as accurate...it's just that no one cares but you. It's time for you to let it go.

You'd be wrong. There are multiple posters who understood what happened and thought it reflected poorly on the school.

And it's ironic to say that "no one cares but [the other poster]," when Marshall made such a big deal out of the prior rating. Presumably, that's why it came to the OP's attention in the first place.

[Anonymous]

14:53 The first postings at 8:07, 8:14, and 8:16 did just what you were asking. They agreed the data might have been somewhat off that year and were touting the good things about the school while not bashing any others. That's what I see at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:53 The first postings at 8:07, 8:14, and 8:16 did just what you were asking. They agreed the data might have been somewhat off that year and were touting the good things about the school while not bashing any others. That's what I see at least.

Huh? Not a single one said the data was incorrectly based on 99% IB participation. All those posts are exactly the problem. They did mention other good things about Marshall, which is great but none of then copped to the bad data.

[Anonymous]

Well we disagree then. To me all of the below initial postings point out that Marshall hasn't always been ranked #3 with US News, a group of which I wasn't even aware of till last year. Typically people reviewed the challenge index.

From 8:07
US News ranked Marshall 3rd last year. The new rankings just came out putting Marshall at 16. They're probably in no hurry to update the website.

From 8:14
If it isn't quite as competitive as Langley, McLean, Woodson, Madison, and Oakton, it certainly is close enough and well respected. US News ranked it higher last year than this year perhaps because they though there were more participants in the IB program.

From 8:23
The "3 best" ranking was based on data that said 99% of the Marshall students participated in the IB program, which is inaccurate. That certainly seems to suggest that the "3rd best" ranking is faulty as incorrectly bolstered by bad data. But that didn't keep the school from touting the ranking. It's still a good school. But not many believe that it was ever "3rd best."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well we disagree then. To me all of the below initial postings point out that Marshall hasn't always been ranked #3 with US News, a group of which I wasn't even aware of till last year. Typically people reviewed the challenge index.

From 8:07
US News ranked Marshall 3rd last year. The new rankings just came out putting Marshall at 16. They're probably in no hurry to update the website.

From 8:14
If it isn't quite as competitive as Langley, McLean, Woodson, Madison, and Oakton, it certainly is close enough and well respected. US News ranked it higher last year than this year perhaps because they though there were more participants in the IB program.

From 8:23
The "3 best" ranking was based on data that said 99% of the Marshall students participated in the IB program, which is inaccurate. That certainly seems to suggest that the "3rd best" ranking is faulty as incorrectly bolstered by bad data. But that didn't keep the school from touting the ranking. It's still a good school. But not many believe that it was ever "3rd best."

8:07 is not on point. 8:14 would be on point if the post ended with "more participants in the IB program than was in fact the case." 8:23 is on point, but you referred to the 8:16 post in your prior post, not the 8:23 post. And the 8:23 poster, of course, was immediately attacked and insulted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well we disagree then. To me all of the below initial postings point out that Marshall hasn't always been ranked #3 with US News, a group of which I wasn't even aware of till last year. Typically people reviewed the challenge index.

From 8:07
US News ranked Marshall 3rd last year. The new rankings just came out putting Marshall at 16. They're probably in no hurry to update the website.

From 8:14
If it isn't quite as competitive as Langley, McLean, Woodson, Madison, and Oakton, it certainly is close enough and well respected. US News ranked it higher last year than this year perhaps because they though there were more participants in the IB program.

From 8:23
The "3 best" ranking was based on data that said 99% of the Marshall students participated in the IB program, which is inaccurate. That certainly seems to suggest that the "3rd best" ranking is faulty as incorrectly bolstered by bad data. But that didn't keep the school from touting the ranking. It's still a good school. But not many believe that it was ever "3rd best."

8:07 is not on point. 8:14 would be on point if the post ended with "more participants in the IB program than was in fact the case." 8:23 is on point, but you referred to the 8:16 post in your prior post, not the 8:23 post. And the 8:23 poster, of course, was immediately attacked and insulted.

The 8:23 poster was you. We're not that stupid.

[Anonymous]

8:23 poster was the only honest one. I'm actually more shocked that you don't see the difference. And I'm not 8:23.

[Anonymous]

than was in fact the case Maybe you know this is true, but most of us haven't contacted Marshall High or US News so it's merely speculation based on previous threads here which may not be accurate. Not to mention, the #3 rating was over a year ago so it's hardly something that still needs to be debated. Whatever. No one is accurate enough for you, yet you seem to think nothing of OP bashing Marshall for promoting poor values and having little academic integrity when she knows no one there and hasn't visited the school. I think most of the posters were honest and together agreed there's little difference between Madison (our local high school actually although the local elementary is a split feeder to Marshall), Oakton, McLean, and Marshall other than different course offerings and some demographic differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well we disagree then. To me all of the below initial postings point out that Marshall hasn't always been ranked #3 with US News, a group of which I wasn't even aware of till last year. Typically people reviewed the challenge index.

From 8:07
US News ranked Marshall 3rd last year. The new rankings just came out putting Marshall at 16. They're probably in no hurry to update the website.

From 8:14
If it isn't quite as competitive as Langley, McLean, Woodson, Madison, and Oakton, it certainly is close enough and well respected. US News ranked it higher last year than this year perhaps because they though there were more participants in the IB program.

From 8:23
The "3 best" ranking was based on data that said 99% of the Marshall students participated in the IB program, which is inaccurate. That certainly seems to suggest that the "3rd best" ranking is faulty as incorrectly bolstered by bad data. But that didn't keep the school from touting the ranking. It's still a good school. But not many believe that it was ever "3rd best."

8:07 is not on point. 8:14 would be on point if the post ended with "more participants in the IB program than was in fact the case." 8:23 is on point, but you referred to the 8:16 post in your prior post, not the 8:23 post. And the 8:23 poster, of course, was immediately attacked and insulted.

The 8:23 poster was you. We're not that stupid.

Well, no, it wasn't. I don't know if you're stupid, but you do seem to have a pattern of believing what you want to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am not as familiar with all the schools in Fairfax County as you seem to be, so maybe I am placing too much emphasis on rankings to help us decide. From the responses, it seems likely that the high "3rd for best school" ranking for Marshall was based on "bad data" and that school officials knew this and publicized it anyway. As someone with a research background, that troubles me, as it raises questions about academic integrity and the values the school seeks to promote among its students. At this point we plan to look elsewhere and will be crossing Pimmit Hills and Marshall off our list of options.

I am so relieved to hear that! Pimmit Hills is a lovely, multicultural neighborhood with a perfect mix of older, original owners and young families, blue and white collar workers, and new and older homes. Marshall's "academic integrity and the values the school seeks to promote among its students" are outstanding, and my kids thrived there and then went on to great colleges where both recieved academic scholarships as a result of rigorous IB preparation. I love the character of my neighborhood -- and neighbors -- and am happy you pass us over. The longer we fly under the radar, the longer it will take for us to be overrun by snots like you.

Who's the one being the snot here? How is OP a snot? Just because she decided against living in Pimmit Hills? She didn't say one bad thing about Pimmit Hills actually. She just expressed uncertainty about Marshall HS. You really must not want people moving to Pimmit Hills because you are showing that it does not have very nice people living there.

[Anonymous]

Not the PP who said she was a snot. OP started this thread apparently interested in Marshall High and Pimmit Hills and then when she realized as she had already stated that Marshall was not rated in the top 3 schools in Fairfax County this year, she went on to say Marshall was promoting poor values and having little academic integrity with little first hand knowledge of US News ratings, Marshall, or any other Fairfax high school. She went beyond just being "uncertain" about Marshall High by making those statements. Maybe she wasn't snotty toward Pimmit Hills which is a neighborhood that splits between Marshall and McLean and is a small part of the entire Marshall boundary. She was snotty though toward Marshall High and if she knows so little, why be so aggressive? Couldn't she just say thanks but we're looking for a higher rated school and leave it at that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:than was in fact the case Maybe you know this is true, but most of us haven't contacted Marshall High or US News so it's merely speculation based on previous threads here which may not be accurate. Not to mention, the #3 rating was over a year ago so it's hardly something that still needs to be debated. Whatever. No one is accurate enough for you, yet you seem to think nothing of OP bashing Marshall for promoting poor values and having little academic integrity when she knows no one there and hasn't visited the school. I think most of the posters were honest and together agreed there's little difference between Madison (our local high school actually although the local elementary is a split feeder to Marshall), Oakton, McLean, and Marshall other than different course offerings and some demographic differences.

Wow you won't give up! You're wrong. The rank was based on a 99% IB participation, which Marshall does not have. For Marshall to tout the 3rd ranking does in fact call into question the values and integrity of all involved. But, yeah, whatever. Let's hope for better from your children.