[lvmensch]

An interesting thing. The list is out for those designated as semi-finalists. They go only to the schools and the press so no access yet. But they should get published in the next week or so.

But an interesting side fact. The score required to be a semifinalist is set state by state. It is picked so the same percentage of last years junior class will be designated a semi-finalist in each state. So it tells you what score is needed to sort the top n% (standard national merit discussion is it is about 1%). The cutoff scores range from 212 in North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming to 223 in Massachusetts, New Jersey and DC. Nevada is at 218 tied for 25th.

The Nevada score is better than Utah and New Mexico but a point lower than Arizona and well below the 5th place tie of California. I find the 3 point better than Utah the most surprising thing. Apparently Utah is good in its bottom schools but not so hot on the better ones.

So how can this be? We all hear the constant refrain of worst in the nation or close to it for education. But here is a measure of smart student demographics and we turn out to be average for the US.

So perhaps the message is that normal middle class kids will do fine. Simply avoid the bottom half of the school system.

[homerboy]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

An interesting thing. The list is out for those designated as semi-finalists. They go only to the schools and the press so no access yet. But they should get published in the next week or so.

But an interesting side fact. The score required to be a semifinalist is set state by state. It is picked so the same percentage of last years junior class will be designated a semi-finalist in each state. So it tells you what score is needed to sort the top n% (standard national merit discussion is it is about 1%). The cutoff scores range from 212 in North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming to 223 in Massachusetts, New Jersey and DC. Nevada is at 218 tied for 25th.

The Nevada score is better than Utah and New Mexico but a point lower than Arizona and well below the 5th place tie of California. I find the 3 point better than Utah the most surprising thing. Apparently Utah is good in its bottom schools but not so hot on the better ones.

So how can this be? We all hear the constant refrain of worst in the nation or close to it for education. But here is a measure of smart student demographics and we turn out to be average for the US.

So perhaps the message is that normal middle class kids will do fine. Simply avoid the bottom half of the school system.

Do you know the rank and scores needed for Washington state and Texas?

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by homerboy

Do you know the rank and scores needed for Washington state and Texas?

Cutoff in TX sand WA is 221. Tie for 8th with a mess of others including NY.

[08grad]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

So perhaps the message is that normal middle class kids will do fine. Simply avoid the bottom half of the school system.

Bottom half? NMSF is a measure of the top 1.25%. LOL.

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by 08grad

Bottom half? NMSF is a measure of the top 1.25%. LOL.

Which in fact says that Las Vegas does about US normal on its better students. So the education of a middle class child will likely work OK if you live in a reasonable school zone.

If you are poor beware and try to use the magnets.

[Tek_Freek]

LOL! People overreact to the strangest things.

[gus2]

That's not a very big spread.

[08grad]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Which in fact says that Las Vegas does about US normal on its better students. So the education of a middle class child will likely work OK if you live in a reasonable school zone.

If you are poor beware and try to use the magnets.

Your definition of better is "Top 1.25%". Metrics that assess the average or median put us dead last.

Anyone who has run any sort of analysis between test scores and demographics would come to the conclusion that there is high correlation between average income and test scores.

All you need to do is look at the income threshold of the top 1% for a state and I'd venture to guess you would have a strong correlation with that state's NMSF cut off.

Here are the minimum household income needed to crack the top 1 percent in each state and the District of Columbia:

1 Connecticut: $700,800
2 District of Columbia: $598,155
3 New Jersey: $588,575
4 Massachusetts: $582,774
5 New York: $550,174
6 California: $514,694

...29 Nevada: $341,335

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/what...our-state.html

Coincidentally, those six feature the 4 highest NMSF cut off scores and the other two are in the top 9. Hmmmmmm...

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by 08grad

Your definition of better is "Top 1.25%". Metrics that assess the average or median put us dead last.

Anyone who has run any sort of analysis between test scores and demographics would come to the conclusion that there is high correlation between average income and test scores.

All you need to do is look at the income threshold of the top 1% for a state and I'd venture to guess you would have a strong correlation with that state's NMSF cut off.



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/what...our-state.html

Coincidentally, those six feature the 4 highest NMSF cut off scores and the other two are in the top 9. Hmmmmmm...

And that is the point I continually make. Look at the household income and it gives you a pretty good view of how the school will be. Ever thus everywhere.

And the bottom ranking of NV is driven at least as much by demographic peculiarity as anything else. It actually is not true. In schools NV is average as it is in most things. NV looks bad in the numbers because it is a one large and one medium school district going against full states. If however you run CCSD against equivalent size school district it is not the bottom.

And to some degree CCSD makes it worse by not having socioeconomic split zones. In most places the higher socioeconomic neighborhoods have their own schools. Not true generally here. The schools all tend to draw from a diverse economic demographic with the obvious exception of Coronado.

The most interesting thing to me is that Bishop Gorman and Faith Lutheran are not very strong. Most places I have lived there is at least one powerful religious school. Here the academic power are Meadows and the magnet program at Clark. I went to St. X in Louisville which was the best school in town. The other big Catholic High School was Flaget which was only adequate but a super jock school. Vanished in the 70s when the west end went Black.

[Cold Warrior]

there is high correlation between average income and test scores

There is a high correlation between income, test scores, and all of the personal attributes that lead to success.