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[quote=Anonymous]The rankings are based soley on the state's standardized test scores in comparison to other schools in that state.  The scores are averaged for the entire school (i.e. what percentage of kids passed each grade level/each subject) and then compared across schools in that state.

The great schools site then ranks the schools so that a school that has a "5" is right in the middle of all the schools in that state (as a composite average for all kids in that school).  A "10" would be a school that is in the top 10% of all the schools.  A "1" would be in the bottom.

You are left to conclude why the average pass rate is a 6 vs. an 8.  More often than not, a "6" school has more "diversity" -- be that black/brown kids, ESOL kids, and/or low-income kids.  Typically, schools that are an 8, 9, or 10 have very low percentages of black/brown kids, eng. lang. learners and/or low income families.  It's a lot easier to have most everyone pass most every test when they come from families that speak Eng. from birth, have mostly intact families with college educated parents and the household income to afford tutors and enrichment classes/experiences.

It's possible that a 6 school is uniformly lack-luster in pass rates, but more often, what you see if you look at the subgroup data is that several groups are passing the tests at as high of rates as the 9 or 10 GS rated schools, but the schools that are a 6 have some groups that aren't passing the tests at as high a rate.. and therefore the overall school rating goes down.

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