Sahamamama Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 These are the rankings for the high school in my township (click on the rankings tab). Very, very low. Our HS came in 293rd out of 381 schools -- 23.1 percentile ranking in 2011. These are the rankings for the middle school (6th-8th) in my township. Very, very low. Our middle school came in 508th out of 677 schools -- 25.0 percentile in 2011. These are the rankings for the elementary school my children would attend, if we were not homeschooling. Low, very low. Our elementary (PK-5th) school came in 1054th out of 1248 schools -- 15.5 percentile ranking in 2011. Would you put a child in a school like this? These are the rankings for the school less than a mile from my house. Does any learning occur at 0.6 percentile? Obviously, we need to move, but we bought six years ago, so we are upside-down. I'm so thankful to have a home (any home, even this one), to be able to keep the kids out of the abysmal school system, and to have the resources to invest in homeschooling. But honestly, sometimes I don't feel we have any other reasonable choice. Sigh... Of course, there is the consolation of knowing that New Jersey isn't one of the lowest-ranking states. :tongue_smilie: [sorry, just a Sunday afternoon vent, that is all] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Ours is right about there. And we live in a pretty affluent area. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 My school district is in the top 30 ranking. My son has not been to public school in 6 years (homeschool) and my daughter left public school 4 years ago (first homeschool, then private school). I know a ton of people who send their kids to private school. The ones who have kids in public school would send their kids to private school if they could afford it. I think school rankings are good for selling real estate but not much else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Of course, there is the consolation of knowing that New Jersey isn't one of the lowest-ranking states. :tongue_smilie: [sorry, just a Sunday afternoon vent, that is all] Don't feel bad. My state is green and our local schools are some of the top ranked in the state. We've BTDT and won't go back. Enjoy your homeschool adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Don't feel too bad, our schools are some of the top and I still won't send my kids there! It isn't just about academics for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 These rankings are based on test scores? What tests? Have you seen the tests? Do you think the tests measure academic ability? Someone was saying how important the "test" was for placing into a middle school or high school but later I read that the parents couldn't see what was on the tests and that teachers were sworn to secrecy. Um, okay..... From: If the broader community of parents, educators and researchers can’t see tests, then we have no way of judging the connection between them and curricula or how to help our children. From Since the tests are not released for public review, no one will ever know how many more pineapples or ill-phrased questions or bad answers are embedded there. It seems strange, doesn't it, to maintain a veil of secrecy over tests that will be used to shape the fate of students, teachers, principals, and schools. Why not release the questions and let everyone pore over them? This seems a bit like a trial in which the accused is not allowed to view the evidence. When the conviction comes, the accused must trust that a higher power judged him or her to be good or bad. Teachers will be fired based on the Pearson tests, and neither they nor the public will be allowed to see the evidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 From The Florida Department of Education has made students sign a pledge this year not to talk about the content of the test or share test information with anyone. The teacher can do nothing about this situation, because by law he is not allowed to see the test or assist students taking the test in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I guess from my viewpoint when people are talking about a cohort's test scores, I'm skeptical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) Such a complicated issue. :( Edited August 13, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Well before homeschooling, both of my parents navigated through poor school systems and ended up with graduate degrees. Their parents emphasized education though, and they were prepared despite very poor teachers and high drop-out rates in the schools they attended. The schools where I am look great on state testing and what they offer (honors sections, AP courses, dual enrollment), but when you dig down into the actual performance on pre-college testing like the COMPASS, ACT, SAT, and AP Exam scores...wow. They're below average for the region. If you look at what percentage require remedial courses in college and what percentage actually finish a 4-year degree, it gets worse. Of course I could make it work as a hands-on parent, but I figure that homeschooling is a better choice for academic and other reasons. And I know homeschoolers who because of low expectations are well below the public schools, but that's a whole 'nother thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 The high school I graduated from is currently ranked 8th in the state and I still wouldn't send my kids there. A common topic of conversation among alumni is the recognition that the one thing most of us learned was how to pass a test and fill out college applications. There really wasn't a lot of retention going on, sad to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 These are the rankings for the high school in my township (click on the rankings tab). Very, very low. Our HS came in 293rd out of 381 schools -- 23.1 percentile ranking in 2011. These are the rankings for the middle school (6th-8th) in my township. Very, very low. Our middle school came in 508th out of 677 schools -- 25.0 percentile in 2011. These are the rankings for the elementary school my children would attend, if we were not homeschooling. Low, very low. Our elementary (PK-5th) school came in 1054th out of 1248 schools -- 15.5 percentile ranking in 2011. Would you put a child in a school like this? These are the rankings for the school less than a mile from my house. Does any learning occur at 0.6 percentile? Obviously, we need to move, but we bought six years ago, so we are upside-down. I'm so thankful to have a home (any home, even this one), to be able to keep the kids out of the abysmal school system, and to have the resources to invest in homeschooling. But honestly, sometimes I don't feel we have any other reasonable choice. Sigh... Of course, there is the consolation of knowing that New Jersey isn't one of the lowest-ranking states. :tongue_smilie: [sorry, just a Sunday afternoon vent, that is all] Unfortunately I do live in a state that is consistently one of the lowest ranking - Mississippi. That is one of the major reasons I chose to homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 The high school I graduated from is currently ranked 8th in the state and I still wouldn't send my kids there. A common topic of conversation among alumni is the recognition that the one thing most of us learned was how to pass a test and fill out college applications. There really wasn't a lot of retention going on, sad to say. Thanks, Michelle, that is food for thought and makes me feel somewhat better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 EEK! I just looked at our schools. An older son went to one of the elementary schools and I thought it was alright, but when a much younger son started there I was very unhappy. After looking at this chart, I can see why. The state rankings took a huge dive! Our high school, which everyone thinks is wonderful, seems to be going downhill too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourpatchbaby Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Yeah, the school that the kids are zoned for when we go back to our homestate is 1923rd of 1943 and scored in the 1% in 2012:glare: I'm glad The Hubby went into the military allowing us the chance for me to SAH and be able to homeschool. I don't think I'd be able to send my kids to a school with that kind of ranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Michigan rankings came out and the high school that my boys would be zoned for was given a 38 out of 100 = Below an F...so what is that? I guess it would be a "G" for "gigantic educational screw up of gargantuan proportions!" The elementary school ranked 19 out of 100 for a grade! :glare: I don't even know how to grade that...well, I can think of a few adjectives that might be accurate but they can't be mentioned in polite company. :cursing: There was ONE school in our county that did half way decent and from what I've seen they have a few things going for them: Small school district, totally rural - only graduates 70 students per year...17 kids per classroom average, no nonsense principals that exhibit some COMMON SENSE so there is actually a little law and order in the rooms and hallways, tight, closeknit community, low income but not poverty and generally conservative so I think they have less diversity in families and frankly, that probably makes things easier, and high parent participation. Our school district reported last year that less than 13% of the student body had a parent or guardian attend parent teacher conferences. As one teacher put it, "The only kids who have a representative come to hear what we say and express any concerns are the foster care children." :banghead: Oh, and the varsity cheerleaders beat up a girl on the squad that they thought wasn't working hard enough towards competition so that they could have an alternate brought up...they were suspended for three days. Nope, not sending my kids to the local PS. There were some schools in Michigan that did very well, West Bloomfield IB, Frankenmuth, Grosse Pointe, Petosky, Charlevoix, a few schools from Grand Rapids, East Lansing, and Ann Arbor, and one from Traverse and these schools also made the top 10% of high schools in the nation if the US World and News Report Education Rankings are at all accurate. We are close enough to Frankenmuth (though not in the same county) that I can say that is a very good high school as high schools go and I'm sure the IB school in West Bloomfield is amazing! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 My kids' zoned schools are nominally high performing but when one compares them against others schools with similar demographic profiles, they come out low. I'm glad California does this "similar schools" ratings because those show whether schools are doing better than, about the same as, or worse than expected given the type of students who attend. Unfortunately, my kids' school is underperforming compared to where it should be. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 There were some schools in Michigan that did very well, West Bloomfield IB, Frankenmuth, Grosse Pointe, Petosky, Charlevoix, a few schools from Grand Rapids, East Lansing, and Ann Arbor, and one from Traverse and these schools also made the top 10% of high schools in the nation if the US World and News Report Education Rankings are at all accurate. We are close enough to Frankenmuth (though not in the same county) that I can say that is a very good high school as high schools go and I'm sure the IB school in West Bloomfield is amazing! Faith Our local high school did better than most, but same thing: small, conservative, rural area. It's the best performing school in the county, and people SOC in to it and think we are crazy. But it still doesn't offer anything for advanced students, it jsut does a good job of getting the average student going. The schools we see academic competitors from - Novi, Bloomfield Hills, Pioneer in A2, etc. - did better. Honestly, if we had it to do over, now that we see so many different students, we would have moved to one of these areas when dc were littlre and not continued to homeschool. What's funny about Bloomfield Hills is that my cousin's kids go to Cranbrook instead, because they don't want them going to the PS. :lol: I guess everyone has different standards. You notice with Michigan schools that they usually do much better in math and reading than science and social studies, because it is all about the ACT now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisperry Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I'm with you! Here is the high school that my daughter would have to attend: SchoolDigger Ranks Southeast Halifax High 573rd of 597 North Carolina public high schools. EOC Students tested % met standard Test Year Grade School District State School District State Algebra I 2006 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 49.8 56.9 82.6 Algebra I 2007 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 28 42 66.7 Algebra I 2008 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 20.4 39 69 Algebra I 2009 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 13.9 30.2 67.7 Algebra I 2010 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 20.7 34.2 77.8 Algebra I 2011 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 6.3 26.1 76.7 :001_huh: 6.3% met the standard. That is dismal. Absolutely dismal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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