AISD high schools ranked among best in the nation (Dallas: get credit, how much)

[jobert]

This is testament to the quality of education in Austin.
Five high schools in the Austin school district have earned places on the Newsweek list of ‘Best High Schools in the Country.’

Austin news, sports, weather, Longhorns, business | Statesman.com (http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/education/entries/2010/06/15/austin_schools_among_newsweeks.html?cxntfid=blogs_ homeroom - broken link)

[austinnerd]

I think it's also important to point out that Westlake came in 58th and Westwood came in 90th. So from an Austin metro perspective (not just AISD) that this is a good sign. Having 3 high schools in the top 100 (and spread out across three different school districts) is definitely nothing to sneeze at.

BTW, I'm sure there are others who will point out that the Dallas/FtWth metro area has three schools in the top 15 (including #1). I choose to interpret that as saying that Texas overall has a pretty decent public school system (well, at least relative to other states )

[texastrigirl]

Not sure how much weight I would put in these rankings overall...not that Westlake and Westwood aren't great high schools but the ranking was devised as follows:

"We take the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge (AICE) tests given at a school each year and divide by the number of seniors graduating in May or June."

You can read more about the ranking criteria in this FAQ and once you read the FAQ, it almost invalidates the rankings which is admitted by the journalist who wrote the article.

America's Best High Schools: The FAQ - Newsweek

Just another article to sell magazines IMO.

Several high schools in the area I live in now were left off the list erroneously and several did not even submit data to Newsweek.

[sanmiguel]

The list is incomplete. The absence of Lowell High School in San Francisco invalidates the numerical rankings in my opinion.

[austinnerd]

Actually the exclusion of schools doesn't "invalidate" the list (just as the fact that your post isn't inclusive of all missing schools isn't itself invalidated). They used some quantitative measures, applied a formula and got some results. If your favorite high school doesn't show up, does it mean that it sucks, nope. Does LASA appearing before Westlake mean that LASA is a "better" school, nope, simply that it scored higher given this specific formula. Is Westlake nearly "twice as good" as Westwood, nope. Just like anything else, you have to put the list into perspective. All it tells you is that those schools that rank highly tend to have a higher percentage of their students take/pass AP/IB courses. If that criteria is important to you, then the list has some value. Then again, it may mean nothing to you because it doesn't address drop out rates, quality of facilities, quality of non-AP/IB courses, etc, etc. Heck ranking high can actually be negatives for some folks if the place ends up being a pressure cooker (a commonly heard complaint about some of the Austin schools listed).

Just like all the other "rankings" that get bandied about on this forum, you have to "take it for what it's worth".

[jobert]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

Several high schools in the area I live in now were left off the list erroneously and several did not even submit data to Newsweek.

I'm glad to see my former high school (#36) was competent enough to submit their paperwork.

On a more serious note, these rankings show that these schools have the means and will to foster talent and do not to complacently treat the high school experience as a four year baby-sitting session. If your kid is talented, and you're involved, they'll succeed. If your child is precocious, there is always the option of moving them up a grade - my sister graduated 3 months after turning 17 (from the same school) by doing just that because the curriculum and staff were in place to allow that option for those capable of doing so.

[jobert]

I've included a secondary link showing the RRISD campuses included:

Austin news, sports, weather, Longhorns, business | Statesman.com

[hound 109]

From what i read....the schools get credit for the % of kids merely taking the tests....with no credit given to how they might have actually scored on the tests.

Sounds like a dumb way to "rank" schools.


& fwiw to any out of towner reading this who might give some merit to the articles (i sure wouldn't given the above mentioned criteria)....the headline to both are misleading & in-accurate. 2 of the 3 "Round Rock" schools mentioned in the second article aren't even in Round Rock. They are in Austin.

The second article is about RRISD schools not "Round Rock" schools. (& the first Article is about Austin ISD schools....not "Austin Schools").

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by sanmiguel

The list is incomplete. The absence of Lowell High School in San Francisco invalidates the numerical rankings in my opinion.

There are also these schools that are excluded because they are too heavily gifted.

The Nation's Most Elite Public High Schools - Newsweek

[jobert]

Originally Posted by hound 109

the schools get credit for the % of kids merely taking the tests....with no credit given to how they might have actually scored on the tests.

Sounds like a dumb way to "rank" schools.

So if only 1 kid out of a senior class of 500 takes the test and passes, that would qualify as a good school to you?

After all - that 100% passing, right Hound?

Originally Posted by hound 109

The second article is about RRISD schools not "Round Rock" schools.

RRISD - that's what I said

Originally Posted by hound 109

& the first Article is about Austin ISD schools....not "Austin Schools.

AISD - that's what I said.... in the original post and title of the thread.



Listen. Take the article for what it's worth, and stop trying to tear it up. Based on the criteria given, the 8 schools mentioned in AISD and RRISD are within the top 6% of high schools in the country - try having a little pride about it. If you want to dispute what the article is trying to say and therefore discredit the schools listed, go ahead. If you have another school ranking methodology you would like to share, by all means, go ahead.