Someone explain how greatschools ratings work

[Anonymous]

We moved to our area last year and the school was a 7/10. It is a Title I school in a very mixed income area. I looked at the school's programs and test scores and they seemed pretty good to me. So I knew the the greatschools rating was not the only indicator of a good school.

This year, it is a 9/10. How did it go up so fast? What is the criteria? There aren't many recent reviews at all and I haven't written one either.

[Anonymous]

They compare the test scores in the state. A 10 means the test scores were in the top 10%, a 1 is the bottom 10%, etc.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if you live in an area that is rapidly gentrifying. That might explain the dramatic test score increase. GS compares test scores between districts in the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if you live in an area that is rapidly gentrifying. That might explain the dramatic test score increase. GS compares test scores between districts in the state.

Probably, as we are considered the gentrying types... but we have only been here one year so it seems a bit dramatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if you live in an area that is rapidly gentrifying. That might explain the dramatic test score increase. GS compares test scores between districts in the state.

Probably, as we are considered the gentrying types... but we have only been here one year so it seems a bit dramatic.

if there are small classes in the testing grades it will not take a lot to move the needle. Also check whether more special ed kids were excluded than before. Are you in Maryland? I like the school report card because it breaks the categories down so well.

[Anonymous]

They're teaching to the test. I worked at 9/10 Title I school for a long time, and everything was MSA, all the time. Kids were in after school clubs for test prep, morning clubs for test prep, lunch bunches for test prep, etc. students got every possible accommodation they were eligible for, including many taking the test one on one with an accommodator sitting next to them (NOT coaching/giving answers, but just continuously looking over their should to make sure they were actually trying). Anyway, PARCC rolled in, the test changed, along with rules for accommodations, and the school's rating dropped to a 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're teaching to the test. I worked at 9/10 Title I school for a long time, and everything was MSA, all the time. Kids were in after school clubs for test prep, morning clubs for test prep, lunch bunches for test prep, etc. students got every possible accommodation they were eligible for, including many taking the test one on one with an accommodator sitting next to them (NOT coaching/giving answers, but just continuously looking over their should to make sure they were actually trying). Anyway, PARCC rolled in, the test changed, along with rules for accommodations, and the school's rating dropped to a 6.

Those poor kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're teaching to the test. I worked at 9/10 Title I school for a long time, and everything was MSA, all the time. Kids were in after school clubs for test prep, morning clubs for test prep, lunch bunches for test prep, etc. students got every possible accommodation they were eligible for, including many taking the test one on one with an accommodator sitting next to them (NOT coaching/giving answers, but just continuously looking over their should to make sure they were actually trying). Anyway, PARCC rolled in, the test changed, along with rules for accommodations, and the school's rating dropped to a 6.

OP - I don't understand... they do take the PARCC at this school....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're teaching to the test. I worked at 9/10 Title I school for a long time, and everything was MSA, all the time. Kids were in after school clubs for test prep, morning clubs for test prep, lunch bunches for test prep, etc. students got every possible accommodation they were eligible for, including many taking the test one on one with an accommodator sitting next to them (NOT coaching/giving answers, but just continuously looking over their should to make sure they were actually trying). Anyway, PARCC rolled in, the test changed, along with rules for accommodations, and the school's rating dropped to a 6.

OP - I don't understand... they do take the PARCC at this school....

The PP's post was simply an anecdote illustrating the following fact: Greatschools ratings are based almost entirely off of test scores.

The point about the PARCC was tangential. Demonstrating only that schools can manipulate their greatschools ratings by manipulating their test performance, and that in PP's school's case they had an easier time scoring (artificially) highly on previous tests than on the PARCC.