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Article: States With the Best (and Worst) Schools


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States With the Best (and Worst) Schools

 

<http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/states-with-the-best-and-worst-schools/ss-AA8oTvp?ocid=mailsignout>

 

<http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/01/09/americas-best-and-worst-school-systems/2/>

 

Hey our state AZ is only 5th worst

 

(They may over-weight spending per pupil - a lot of Northeast states waste money in the education arena IMHO)

 

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Your second link has PA at 8th best.  I guess I should be happy about that, but it sure doesn't match PSAT NMSF score data.  We're pretty middle of the pack with that.

 

In general, I think there are good and not-so-good schools in every state.  A bit depends upon how much the local community is willing to support good schools.

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Your second link has PA at 8th best.  I guess I should be happy about that, but it sure doesn't match PSAT NMSF score data.  We're pretty middle of the pack with that.

 

In general, I think there are good and not-so-good schools in every state.  A bit depends upon how much the local community is willing to support good schools.

of course - AZ has BASIS which is very highly ranked -  any article like this is about an average of all public funded schools in the state

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If you like this subject, consider a book titled "The Smartest Kids in the World." It does a fine job demonstrating that per-pupil spending has very little correlation to actual learning. Our country is obsessed with technology in classrooms to "enhance the experience," but the only outcome in the end is a waste of our tax money. USA students consistently test in the middle of the pack even though we dominate in spending.

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Minnesota was ranked tenth best.  That sounds about right.  There are a lot of great schools here- the schools in the town we live in now are ranked mostly nines on GreatSchools- but there are a few real stinkers, like the school where I grew up, which I think is rated a four.  

 

I do find it sad that we have the third highest ranking for eight graders proficient in math or reading, and yet the proficiency rate is still only 47%.  

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I lived in NJ (#2) and Massachusetts (#1) and was floored by how good the schools were. I grew up going to one of the top public schools in CA, in a neighborhood with million dollar homes, and my school was pretty much Chuck E Cheese compared to the NJ/MA schools.

 

 

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The way they rate this is ridiculous. It's spending in gross $/pupil and things like that, though COL affects spending heavily.

 

It's a ridiculous chart.

 

That said I wish my state spent more. We spend ridiculously little on schools and it's terribly local.

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This cracked me up.  I live (and teach public school) in Massachusetts and constantly complain about the schools.  I think how good a school is depends on which students you're concerned about.  MA spends a fortune on Special Education.  Families often move here because the services are so good.  However, MA doesn't spend a cent on gifted and talented education.  Many of our top students are languishing in unleveled classes that are much too easy for them.

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How?

I don't know about now, but in the late 90's and early 2000's, low testing students in MA were forced into special needs schools, expelled for minor infractions, and as young as 10th grade were told "there is no point in coming to school since you won't graduate". I pleaded with one young man to stay in school even if he didn't graduate and he told me, "But, they don't want me to come. They will get mad if I come. I don't think they will even let me come."

 

My youngest was the first class that the MCAS tests counted for graduation. Not a single one of his public school friends finished the 10th grade. Not a single one. My older son's friends were the last class that could graduate without passing, but were still caught up in the testing and the schools were shamed and punished for low testing students. Maybe half his public school friends graduated.

 

One of the reasons special needs funding was so high, was to pay for the alternative schooling of all the students who were no longer tested and included in those great sounding test scores. I'm a lot less familiar with the day to day happenings in the MA schools, now, and just hear about it second, third and fourth hand.

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What does "8th graders proficient in math or reading" *mean*?  First of all, it says "or", so I guess if they get a high enough score in *either one*, that counts?  Even if they don't get that score in the other one?

 

Second, what do they mean by "proficient"?  Anybody have any sort of rough guideline for what that means?  Is it "meets expected grade level", or is proficiency some standard above grade level?  Or what?

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What does "8th graders proficient in math or reading" *mean*?  First of all, it says "or", so I guess if they get a high enough score in *either one*, that counts?  Even if they don't get that score in the other one?

 

Second, what do they mean by "proficient"?  Anybody have any sort of rough guideline for what that means?  Is it "meets expected grade level", or is proficiency some standard above grade level?  Or what?

I don't know if they mean if they are proficient in either one or not. That is a good question. The categories are advanced, proficient, below and far below. So they mean they are at least grade level for proficient and anything else is below grade level.

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Second, what do they mean by "proficient"? Anybody have any sort of rough guideline for what that means? Is it "meets expected grade level", or is proficiency some standard above grade level? Or what?

Link below is for NAEP defination of proficient for 4th, 8th and 12th grade for reading

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/achieveall.asp#2009_grade8

For math

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/mathematics/achieveall.asp

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