Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Thread summary:

TEA accountability ratings: academically acceptable school districts, test scores

Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-29-2008, 12:47 AM
 
216 posts, read 713,414 times
Reputation: 106

Advertisements

RE: Cedar hill, duncanville, desoto

in an earlier post, you posted that desoto, cedar hill and duncanville public schools are not as good as those found in North dallas and further north in collin county. This perception is shared by most posters on this board. Most would agree that plano isd, frisco isd, allen school districts e.t.c. are better than the above cities isds.

lets look at the facts. according to the TEA 2007 accountability ratings,plano isd, frisco isd, allen isd, keller isd, even grapevine-colleyville isd are all rated accademically acceptable...as is desoto, duncanville and cedar hill. surprised?

What is disturbing to me is that for posters who decide that they would like to buy in these communities, it is usualy suggested to them that cedar hill schools are not good and if they HAVE to settle in this part of the metroplex, they are better off considering midlothian or mansfield school districts. well, here is onother surprise...midlothian and mansfield are also rated academically acceptable by the TEA.

my point: most of the misinformed posters mean well but they are just plain wrong. most comments about the cedar hill/desoto/duncanville area are based on negative perceptions and are just plain wrong. As a result, you will get more home for your money and schools that are just as good.

I admit, highland park isd is better than cedar hill isd. it is rated exemplery. too bad i cant afford to move there. cedar hill schools are just as good as MOST northern dallas schools. There is just no statistical significance between the schools as the data confirms
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-29-2008, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Fondren SW Yo
2,783 posts, read 6,649,537 times
Reputation: 2224
Quote:
Originally Posted by southern living View Post
RE: Cedar hill, duncanville, desoto

in an earlier post, you posted that desoto, cedar hill and duncanville public schools are not as good as those found in North dallas and further north in collin county. This perception is shared by most posters on this board. Most would agree that plano isd, frisco isd, allen school districts e.t.c. are better than the above cities isds.

lets look at the facts. according to the TEA 2007 accountability ratings,plano isd, frisco isd, allen isd, keller isd, even grapevine-colleyville isd are all rated accademically acceptable...as is desoto, duncanville and cedar hill. surprised?

What is disturbing to me is that for posters who decide that they would like to buy in these communities, it is usualy suggested to them that cedar hill schools are not good and if they HAVE to settle in this part of the metroplex, they are better off considering midlothian or mansfield school districts. well, here is onother surprise...midlothian and mansfield are also rated academically acceptable by the TEA.

my point: most of the misinformed posters mean well but they are just plain wrong. most comments about the cedar hill/desoto/duncanville area are based on negative perceptions and are just plain wrong. As a result, you will get more home for your money and schools that are just as good.

I admit, highland park isd is better than cedar hill isd. it is rated exemplery. too bad i cant afford to move there. cedar hill schools are just as good as MOST northern dallas schools. There is just no statistical significance between the schools as the data confirms
"academically acceptable" is a rather broad and uninspiring phrase. Can you back up your post with actual test scores, statistics, etc.? It seems you are doing the same as what you accuse momof2 and others of doing - you are asserting that your perception is reality.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 10:06 AM
 
119 posts, read 290,875 times
Reputation: 75
I never look at the rating of the entire school district. I look at individual schools.

For example, in Plano, Plano Senior High is rated Recognized & Rice Middle school is rated Exemplary (rare for a middle school) and other middle schools in Plano are Recognized.

Cedar Hill's high schools and middle schools are all rated Acceptable.
Duncanville's high schools are all rated Acceptable and they have one middle school rated Recognized.
Desoto's high schools and middle schools are all rated Acceptable.

The other thing I look at is the advanced placement class availability and drop-out rate. Finally, if I'm looking at moving, I go drive by the schools and see if there are temporary classrooms.

Allen High School is Acceptable, but the middle schools are Recognized.

Some people are turned off by Allen having a single high school with a huge, huge enrollment. Plano has large enrollments too, but not as big as Allen.

Frisco's high schools are Acceptable, but they have a few middle schools that are Recognized too.

I understand your point about people making generalizations about cities, especially when someone makes comments and they have never lived in a given area.

I live in Plano and people stereotype it as snobby or full of drug-using teenagers. While there are affluent neighborhoods behind gates in Plano that might contain some snobbery, most of Plano is middle-class and has down-to-earth families.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 11:32 AM
 
6,677 posts, read 13,896,075 times
Reputation: 5578
Tallscot your post is on point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 11:54 AM
 
Location: DFW, TX
2,935 posts, read 6,693,808 times
Reputation: 572
Quote:
Originally Posted by rb4browns View Post
"academically acceptable" is a rather broad and uninspiring phrase. Can you back up your post with actual test scores, statistics, etc.? It seems you are doing the same as what you accuse momof2 and others of doing - you are asserting that your perception is reality.
SAT scores for 2006

Duncanville 992
Desoto 927
Cedar Hill 903

Plano 1149
Allen 1071
Frisco 1054

IMHO, school test scores have more to do with the parents than the schools. If you have the kids of doctors and lawyers and engineers going to a school, you will find kids that are well fed, parents that have high expectations of their grades, parents that have an income that can afford tutors, and parents that will hold the teachers accountable. Furthermore, you can't ignore that if mommy and daddy are successful professionals that there is some level of genetics that would make their children more likely to be either intelligent and/or driven to succeed as well.

Looking at their test scores to me provides little value. I care more about the environment for learning... are there problems with violence in the school? What condition is the science and computer lab equipment in? What after school activities are available? Do they have a gifted program? Etc.
If little Johnny isn't all that bright of a student, just placing him in Plano ISD won't make him a genius just because he's sitting next to kids that test well... he won't learn by osmosis. Conversely if Bobby is extremely bright, given the right environment even in a school that doesn't have other kids that are driven doesn't mean that he won't get a quality education... he might even stand a better chance to be the top of his class.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 12:00 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in Texas
5,406 posts, read 13,221,350 times
Reputation: 2800
I wouldn't take any of those ratings very seriously. I am familiar with school districts where the ratings were recognized and exemplary and to be perfectly honest, I couldn't figure out why. Sure, the test scores are the reasons, but maybe they just lucked out with the right answer. To hear the kids speak, to view their writings, or to ask them simple math problems, you'd think they hadn't learned a thing in education. Those ratings are ridiculous and so is the TAKS.

If one is looking for a truly good school, spend hours or days there and watch the teachers and other students at work (or play), whatever the case may be. I can assure you it will be a total mind-opener either on a positive or a negative note.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 01:26 PM
 
216 posts, read 713,414 times
Reputation: 106
All the above posts are true.
I only used TEA ratings because it provides objective data that can be used to compare districts without subjective perceptions muddying the waters
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 02:01 PM
 
216 posts, read 713,414 times
Reputation: 106
Quote:
Originally Posted by rb4browns View Post
"academically acceptable" is a rather broad and uninspiring phrase. Can you back up your post with actual test scores, statistics, etc.? It seems you are doing the same as what you accuse momof2 and others of doing - you are asserting that your perception is reality.
actualy i was responding to far north dallas blanket statement that cedar hill schools are not good. see her post under "southwest dallas county: cedarhill, desoto, duncanville"

To prove that my claims are not based on perception, i used TEA stats which are used to rate and compare districts throughout TX
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 02:10 PM
 
Location: Fondren SW Yo
2,783 posts, read 6,649,537 times
Reputation: 2224
Quote:
Originally Posted by twojciac View Post
SAT scores for 2006

Duncanville 992
Desoto 927
Cedar Hill 903

Plano 1149
Allen 1071
Frisco 1054

IMHO, school test scores have more to do with the parents than the schools. If you have the kids of doctors and lawyers and engineers going to a school, you will find kids that are well fed, parents that have high expectations of their grades, parents that have an income that can afford tutors, and parents that will hold the teachers accountable. Furthermore, you can't ignore that if mommy and daddy are successful professionals that there is some level of genetics that would make their children more likely to be either intelligent and/or driven to succeed as well.

Looking at their test scores to me provides little value. I care more about the environment for learning... are there problems with violence in the school? What condition is the science and computer lab equipment in? What after school activities are available? Do they have a gifted program? Etc.
If little Johnny isn't all that bright of a student, just placing him in Plano ISD won't make him a genius just because he's sitting next to kids that test well... he won't learn by osmosis. Conversely if Bobby is extremely bright, given the right environment even in a school that doesn't have other kids that are driven doesn't mean that he won't get a quality education... he might even stand a better chance to be the top of his class.
I agree that test scores in and of themselves do not tell a complete story. With that said, it's my opinion that being surrounded by motivated, college bound students is a much better environment to be in even if it means being ranked #50 in your class that being surrounded by lower quality students who make it easier to get to that #1 ranking. The question is not if a good student can get a good education in a bad school, but rather what environment affords a students the best chance at the best possible education.

Does the south Dallas area offer that type of environment compared to what the northern Dallas suburbs offer? I don't know for sure, but my gut tells me that a school that has a higher percentage of higher achieving students is the best bet. To each their own.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2008, 02:21 PM
 
216 posts, read 713,414 times
Reputation: 106
Quote:
Originally Posted by rb4browns View Post
I agree that test scores in and of themselves do not tell a complete story. With that said, it's my opinion that being surrounded by motivated, college bound students is a much better environment to be in even if it means being ranked #50 in your class that being surrounded by lower quality students who make it easier to get to that #1 ranking. The question is not if a good student can get a good education in a bad school, but rather what environment affords a students the best chance at the best possible education.

Does the south Dallas area offer that type of environment compared to what the northern Dallas suburbs offer? I don't know for sure, but my gut tells me that a school that has a higher percentage of higher achieving students is the best bet. To each their own.
to each his own indeed.
Im not asserting that cedar hill schools are better than nothern burbs...im saying they are comparable

SAT scores are positively correlated with wealth. the nothern burbs are more afluent hence the higher scores. As you said, most good students will perform well regardless of district.

Again, as per objective TEA data, the schools are comparable
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top