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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]7 is a value based on a 1-10 scale, with 5 being the state average pass rate on the SOLs.

So a school with a 7 rating has a overall pass rate (all grades, all subjects) better than average.  Without the AAP center, Twain's score would be lower, as you suspect.  So the AAP center is sort of inflating the Great Schools rating a bit.  But, even without the AAP center, Twain would probably be a 5 -- which is right on par with the average pass rates statewide.  Is that a bad thing?  Well, you decide.

Let's say the average pass rate for Math 7 (which by the way doesn't even include ANY of the AAP kids b/c they all took the SOL for Math 7 in 6th grade).... but let's say the average pass rate in all schools in VA is 85%.  So, half of the schools in Va. had fewer than 85% of their students pass the Math 7 SOL and half of the schools in VA had more than 85% of the students pass the Math 7 SOL.  A school with a more homogenous (and wealthier) economic base might have 93% of it's students passing the Math 7 SOL.  Their Great Schools rating might be a 7 or 8.  Does it bother you that your child's school only had 85% of the kids pass Math 7?  (this is just an example)

some people would say, "no, it doesn't bother me b/c I know MY kid is going to be learning what s/he needs to learn and will pass his/her SOL."  Others would say "I want my kid to be in a school where nearly everyone passes."  So, it's a matter of your comfort.

It is NOT correct or accurate to say that a school with a Great Schools rating of "5" is an "average" school.  It could be right in the middle of the state for pass rates for all groups of kids (rich, poor, black, white, hispanic, asian, with disabilities, no disabilities, etc.).  OR (as in many cases), it has a student population that has divergent pass rates and therefore the cumulative "average" for all kids, and all subjects, = about average (although there are groups that have passrates much higher than the state average and other groups that have pass rates much lower than the state average).

[b]You really have to understand that the average passrate for all groups/all subjects (i.e. the Great Schools rating) is not so much a reflection on the quality of the school or the teaching quality as a whole, but rather it reflects the average economic status of the students (which is largely based on the housing that was built in that district). [/b]

If there is a wide range of housing prices (from lower end rentals to higher end single family homes), you will likely see a wide range Socio-economic status among the students, which means you will have wide variability on the pass rates for different groups --- which means the school is going to "average out" toward the middle of the pack.

The GS ratings are based ONLY on the average pass rate for ALL SOL tests compared to a statewide average pass rate for all SOL tests.  [/quote]

Not the OP, but just wanted to say this is a great explanation.  In particular, the section I've bolded seems to be poorly understood in many of the discussions here.[/quote]

I think 22:24 provided a great explanation as well, but the part that you bolded does reinforce the notion that test scores are correlated with income levels.   There may be a very strong correlation, but perhaps it's not a great idea to assume there's always a direct correlation.   That can lead to the so-called "tyranny of low expectations," which is precisely what so many recent educational initiatives have been designed to address.   Particularly at the elementary school level, if you comb through SOL data, you'll find some high-FARMS schools that do very well on SOLs.  Ironically, that often leads to complaints that those schools are "teaching to the test" (duh) or may have found a way to fudge their numbers. [/quote]

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