Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 12:26     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.


That doesn't make it okay.


You should be more specific as to how you think this violates the Fair Housing Act. I'm sure Redfin and Zillow have lawyers who scrutinize what's posted on their listings.



The methodology change essentially creates a way to capture schools that are racially and ethnically homogeneous in a fairly obvious manner. It's akin to asking a realtor what schools have almost all white kids? That's against the law.

It's old method was plausible in that it basically just pulled testing data, but it didn't do the Langley trick of excluding data from homogeneous schools from applying to the rating.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 12:15     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
We are in Montgomery County and just saw our school's GS rating drop from 10 to 7 because of the achievement gap - this despite the fact that minority and low income students at the school scored almost 2x the state average for minority and low-income students. Meanwhile schools that are almost 100% minority with scores barely above the state average for minority students get a similar GS rating - because there's no achievement gap....The conspiracy theorist in me suspects GS wants to promote further segregation.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 12:01     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:It looks like in FCPS, getting an equity score of 4 is on the higher end.

Langley test scores 9, equity 7, overall 8
West Springfield test scores 9, equity 6, overall 8

Marshall test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7
McLean test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7

Chantilly test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Lake Braddock test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Robinson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Woodson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6

Oakton test scores 8, equity 3, overall 6
Madison test scores 8, equity 2, overall 6

Centreville test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
Fairfax test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
South County test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5

South Lakes test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4
Westfield test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4

Edison test scores 5, equity 3, overall 4
Hayfield test scores 5, equity 2, overall 4

Annandale test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4
Falls Church test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4

Herndon test scores 4, equity 2, overall 3
West Potomac test scores 4, equity 1, overall 3

Lee test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3
Stuart test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3

Mount Vernon test scores 2, equity 2, overall 2


But look further at Langley.
They have no measurable at risk population, but great schools gave them the highest equity score in the county and I think the entire area.

That is a .major reason why they are flawed.

If Langley has no measurable .minority or esol population they should not have received the highest score for equity. They should have the lowest score for having the least diversity.

Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 12:00     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.


That doesn't make it okay.

My point is that you contend GS on those sites violates Fair Housing Act but no one will do anything due to current administration. I'm not sure how you think it violates the Fair Housing Act, but if you are correct, someone could have sued during the Obama administration.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 12:00     Subject: GreatSchools rating
I think Great Schools needs to stop posting race data and only post the scores. I'm pretty sure 99% of parents would love for their kid to go to a minority-majority school or an impoverished if it was ranked a 9 or a 10. People don't care about race as much as they care about how the rest of the kids are doing.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 11:58     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.


That doesn't make it okay.


You should be more specific as to how you think this violates the Fair Housing Act. I'm sure Redfin and Zillow have lawyers who scrutinize what's posted on their listings.

Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 11:48     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.


That doesn't make it okay.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 11:48     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.


It’s not illegal to look at school demographics. I wish I had paid closer attention when I bought my first house.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 11:41     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.


?
GS was used on these sites prior to the current administration.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 11:40     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Honestly, the use of GS ratings is an obvious violation of the fair housing act. Zillow, redfin, etc. definitely face some risk in using this on their listings.

My guess? Since there is a small to nill chance anyone would actually enforce this law because of the current political party in power, these businesses are leaving things as-is.
Anonymous
Post 01/03/2018 10:40     Subject: GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People have been wanting to get rid of the reliance on Greatschools for a long time, but house hunters find it invaluable (including us). The change in methodology may have finally succeeded in getting people to stop looking at it, at least locally.


Wrong conclusion. This is a transient area. This will push people further into more segregated areas. It’s will encourage communities to work harder to block low income housing.


This. People are terrible and deserve NO credit. They aren't going to suddenly dismiss GS, rather they are going to try to "win" within the new parameters.

Great Schools is pouring lighter fluid on the fire of residential segregation. Already happening in Arlington, where each boundary change ends in a tighter geographic area which "just so happens" to make the wealthier/less diverse schools even less diverse. Next come the law suits to block any new developments in certain areas.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2018 17:08     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:It looks like in FCPS, getting an equity score of 4 is on the higher end.

Langley test scores 9, equity 7, overall 8
West Springfield test scores 9, equity 6, overall 8

Marshall test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7
McLean test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7

Chantilly test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Lake Braddock test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Robinson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Woodson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6

Oakton test scores 8, equity 3, overall 6
Madison test scores 8, equity 2, overall 6

Centreville test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
Fairfax test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
South County test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5

South Lakes test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4
Westfield test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4

Edison test scores 5, equity 3, overall 4
Hayfield test scores 5, equity 2, overall 4

Annandale test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4
Falls Church test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4

Herndon test scores 4, equity 2, overall 3
West Potomac test scores 4, equity 1, overall 3

Lee test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3
Stuart test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3

Mount Vernon test scores 2, equity 2, overall 2


Knowing the FCPS school demographics, I'd single West Springfield out for praise, and suggest Madison and Oakton in particular have some work to do, and say all the other schools are about where you'd expect.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2018 16:58     Subject: Re:GreatSchools rating
It looks like in FCPS, getting an equity score of 4 is on the higher end.

Langley test scores 9, equity 7, overall 8
West Springfield test scores 9, equity 6, overall 8

Marshall test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7
McLean test scores 9, equity 4, overall 7

Chantilly test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Lake Braddock test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Robinson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6
Woodson test scores 8, equity 4, overall 6

Oakton test scores 8, equity 3, overall 6
Madison test scores 8, equity 2, overall 6

Centreville test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
Fairfax test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5
South County test scores 6, equity 3, overall 5

South Lakes test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4
Westfield test scores 6, equity 2, overall 4

Edison test scores 5, equity 3, overall 4
Hayfield test scores 5, equity 2, overall 4

Annandale test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4
Falls Church test scores 4, equity 3, overall 4

Herndon test scores 4, equity 2, overall 3
West Potomac test scores 4, equity 1, overall 3

Lee test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3
Stuart test scores 3, equity 2, overall 3

Mount Vernon test scores 2, equity 2, overall 2
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2018 16:44     Subject: GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:New ratings are inacurate.

It is based off achievement gap between esol and everyone else.
.


That is what they call equity rating, it is not the only rating they use.

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/ratings/

See for example Woodson. It gets an equity rating of 4, but an academic rating of 8, and a total rating of 6.

Basically by adding an equity rating, it is implicitly adjusting for the fact that Woodson gets great test scores only for certain populations.

It is correct that this does disfavor as much all high SES schools, though they may well also get high test scores only because of their demographic mix.


It is actually counting the "equity" score twice, since the academic score also reflects the equity score. It's flawed.


I don't see that in their documentation.
Anonymous
Post 01/02/2018 16:42     Subject: GreatSchools rating
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

It is a flawed methodology.


Just using test scores that mostly reflect parental income and education is a good methodology?


Yes. And I think test scores are more a reflection of parental involvement, than income/education. Many lower income parents are very involved in their kid's educations.


Statistically it doesn't matter. What I as a parent selecting a school want is an indication of what the school will contribute to my child's success (for now, let's assume only academic success matters, though of course that is not all I care about)