Pros and Cons of Oceanside? (Freeport, Long Beach: insurance, crimes, credit card)
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Oceanside is a generally good area. Basic NYC suburb. Almost "queens" type of feel, except without the bad schools. Schools are pretty good, although Rockville Centre schools are probably a little better/less crowded (RVC taxes are a killer though). Commute from Rockville Centre is better too (Babylon LIRR line)
Other towns in the area to suggest: RVC, Lynbrook, Merrick, Hewlett, Bellmore, Wantagh
SAT rankings are a fairly meaningless stat to judge a HS. First it is more a test based on your potential not what you have learned. The ACT test which is becoming more popular is more based on what you have learned in school. More knowledge based.
Also Great Neck and Jericho are wealthy and kids take tons of SAT classes and hire SAT private SAT tutors to inflate scores which has nothing to do with quality of schools.
PSATs might even be a better measure, as many kids take them cold without private tutors and classes. SATs are more a measure of wealth than the school itself
Yeah, don't go by any single ranking, that would be foolish.
Wouldn't put Oceanside on the same level as Great Neck and Jericho (comparative wealth between districts notwithstanding).
I'd say that the savvy kids (who may or may not have wealthy parents) who fully prepare for standardized exams wind up with better, not 'inflated' scores. Particularly bright kids who do this wind up with even better scores. I'd reserve the descriptor 'inflate' to something artificial and outside student control such as manipulation of cut scores, etc. by a testing company/department of education/graders, etc..
Savvy students prep considerably for the PSATS (they are not tricked by the "P" in PSAT and know early notice of potential SAT/ACT scores, NMSF/NMF designation, and scholarship opportunities are quite important).
I see just as much test prep for the ACT as the SAT nowadays.
I also wouldn't overstate the "A" in SAT or PSAT, they do test what many of the better students have already learned. And the students who nail the SAT tend to nail the ACT if they bother taking it (although those who don't really nail the SAT tend to do a bit better on the ACT for a number of reasons).
Last edited by Quick Commenter; 10-29-2016 at 04:00 AM..
Oceanside is a generally good area. Basic NYC suburb. Almost "queens" type of feel, except without the bad schools. Schools are pretty good, although Rockville Centre schools are probably a little better/less crowded (RVC taxes are a killer though). Commute from Rockville Centre is better too (Babylon LIRR line)
Other towns in the area to suggest: RVC, Lynbrook, Merrick, Hewlett, Bellmore, Wantagh
Oceanside doesn't remotely remind me of Queens! Except for like 1 block that has some apartment buildings.
Not saying if you would consider this a pro or a con, but it is within the top 50 Long Island School Districts in terms of average SAT score (at number 43):
It would beg the question as to why there and not any of the other 49 places on the list.
SAT rankings are a fairly meaningless stat to judge a HS. First it is more a test based on your potential not what you have learned. The ACT test which is becoming more popular is more based on what you have learned in school. More knowledge based.
Also Great Neck and Jericho are wealthy and kids take tons of SAT classes and hire SAT private SAT tutors to inflate scores which has nothing to do with quality of schools.
PSATs might even be a better measure, as many kids take them cold without private tutors and classes. SATs are more a measure of wealth than the school itself
Neither Jericho or Great Neck has DJIA CEO among them. The current CEO of Disney, Bob Iger went to Oceanside High School. He credits the education he got in Oceanside with his success.
Oh, I know how many executives of top companies went to Oceanside, but that's precisely the point I am making here-Oceanside used to be that awesome because kids succeeded without tutors-the district did its job in turning out students who were well prepared to enroll in top universities and become leaders. Not anymore. If I were to rate the district, I would say, it's B-. The rise of Jericho and others is a fairly recent phenomenon so wait another 10-20 years and you will see who the CEO's of DJIA and the likes will be.
Yeah, don't go by any single ranking, that would be foolish.
Wouldn't put Oceanside on the same level as Great Neck and Jericho (comparative wealth between districts notwithstanding).
I'd say that the savvy kids (who may or may not have wealthy parents) who fully prepare for standardized exams wind up with better, not 'inflated' scores. Particularly bright kids who do this wind up with even better scores. I'd reserve the descriptor 'inflate' to something artificial and outside student control such as manipulation of cut scores, etc. by a testing company/department of education/graders, etc..
Savvy students prep considerably for the PSATS (they are not tricked by the "P" in PSAT and know early notice of potential SAT/ACT scores, NMSF/NMF designation, and scholarship opportunities are quite important).
I see just as much test prep for the ACT as the SAT nowadays.
I also wouldn't overstate the "A" in SAT or PSAT, they do test what many of the better students have already learned. And the students who nail the SAT tend to nail the ACT if they bother taking it (although those who don't really nail the SAT tend to do a bit better on the ACT for a number of reasons).
One could argue that districts where parents can afford tutors have students who fare well on SAT, but honestly, after going through two test prep companies and private tutoring, I found that the best preparation for my son was free Khan Academy website. Unless your kid is a genius, SAT is nothing but practice. After practicing for a while, you start to notice patterns in questions, especially, with the reading comprehension section. Khan Academy is actually a bit harder than SAT, so it prepares you really well. One just has to be disciplined and motivated.
One could argue that districts where parents can afford tutors have students who fare well on SAT, but honestly, after going through two test prep companies and private tutoring, I found that the best preparation for my son was free Khan Academy website. Unless your kid is a genius, SAT is nothing but practice. After practicing for a while, you start to notice patterns in questions, especially, with the reading comprehension section. Khan Academy is actually a bit harder than SAT, so it prepares you really well. One just has to be disciplined and motivated.
I agree. There are enough free PSAT/SAT/ACT resources (on line and in your local library) that parental involvement, IQ and self discipline (personal student effort) are really the keys to standard examination success.
The same qualities ensure general student academic success. That is why students in the same school and even with the same teacher, classroom textbooks, and pencils can and do have wildly varying levels of achievement.
Last edited by Quick Commenter; 10-31-2016 at 02:19 PM..
Meh, we almost bought a house in Oceanside and looking back - feel relieved we didn't only because the commute would suck more. Oceanside has only 1-3 major roadways in and out of the town (Long Beach Road being a main artery that clogs up at rush hour). If you work or spend most of your time in mid Island, it can be a pain as you need to travel on a lot of local roads to get into town. If you want to be closer to Long Beach and Jones Beach - then its pretty wonderful.
Some areas are in flood zones and the areas that aren't, tend to sell very fast (assuming they are in great condition). Hurricane Sandy decimated many homes in Oceanside. Be careful w/ school districts and Oceanside's borders may result in some homes being zoned for Baldwin schools or schools in RVC/East Rockaway. I am sure others will pipe in w/ more details - our former home in Baldwin Harbor was located close to the Oceanside border (Waukena and Atlantic Ave) and we had no problems with the restaurants and shopping (although the Joe's Crab Shack restaurant tends to get a bad rap due to non-white patrons).
wow only "non-white patrons?" interesting
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