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Juniors take the PSAT instead of MEA's standard achievement test. There isn't 100% participation in SAT, it's not required.
I thought that the PSAT was taken in the sophomore year?
Quote:
Originally Posted by flycessna
I am looking at the big picture of increasing "graduation rates". And wondering how? Still havent heard a decent example of how this could be accomplished. Or why this program does it better??
Public schools, in this case high schools, receive funding in a few different ways; two of which are how many students are currently enrolled and how many students graduate from the particular high school. The more students that graduate, the more money the school receives. The more students that graduate, the more parents enroll their teenagers into those schools and so on.
The more students that graduate, the better the school looks.
The more students that graduate, the better the state looks.
The better the school looks, go back to the top.
The better the state looks, the more chance out-of-staters consider moving to the state. Let's face it, parents often consider school districts or particular schools in with their decisions to relocate.
Who moves to Maine? Middle-aged people, retirees mostly.
Who leaves Maine? eighteen to twenty-four year olds.
My guess is that this is an attempt to bring people to the state and to keep young people in the state. And bring in more federal dollars, too, while they are at it.
The more students that graduate, the better the school looks.
The more students that graduate, the better the state looks.
The better the school looks, go back to the top.
The better the state looks, the more chance out-of-staters consider moving to the state. Let's face it, parents often consider school districts or particular schools in with their decisions to relocate.
Who moves to Maine? Middle-aged people, retirees mostly.
Who leaves Maine? eighteen to twenty-four year olds.
I can't speak for Maine, but I've never seen a student able to modify answers on state tests after the exam's time has expired. State test scores are one useful tool among other useful tools. It is a representation of a school's students' performance. One way to determine the quality of instruction is to compare schools of similar socioeconomic student enrollment. In a similar schools comparison, you're comparing apples to apples. It's another useful tool. I like having a lot of information when performing research.
I'm sure there are many, many caring, involved parents from economically disadvantaged households; however, statistically, parental education and higher household incomes (they often go hand-in-hand) are the primary factors in students' school success.
Some high schools better prepare their students for higher education, and I think you'll find that most of those schools are in more affluent, educated communities.
In addition to state test scores, the following are also useful tools when evaluating a school or district, along with socioeconomic factors. The more information, the better.
Senior Graduation Rate
4-Year Dropout Rate
Average GPA of HS Seniors
Career-Tech Occupationally-Specific Program Participation
Career-Tech Occupationally-Specific Program Completion
Average ACT or SAT Score
HS Graduates Completing Regents' College-Bound Curriculum
Out-of-State College-Going Rate
In-State College-Going Rate
College Freshmen taking at least one remedial course in Math, English, Science, or Reading
College Freshmen with GPA 2.0 or Above
College Completion Rate
In state universal test scores can help give and "idea" of whats going on with in the state from school to school.. I would not compare maine's mea's to say Mass's mea's..
You are absolutely right about the more afluant a town.. its sad to say but we have to be honest here.. In my own experience there are many kids who's parents just got give a S&%T... and then there is a cycle of ignorance but no maliciousness..
Our schools should not be repsonible for bad parenting but there is soo much money involved the whole system is corrupt.
I understand we want to have good schools to attract Younger families to Maine to better our demographics... but the argument is trying to put the horse before the cart.. which one should come first? We already have one of the highest per pupil expenditures in the nation but have the lowest SAT scores..
I thought that the PSAT was taken in the sophomore year?
It is and it's taken again in the junior year. All publicly funded 10th and 11th graders take the PSAT. I said Juniors take the PSAT now instead of the MEA.
In state universal test scores can help give and "idea" of whats going on with in the state from school to school.. I would not compare maine's mea's to say Mass's mea's..
You are absolutely right about the more afluant a town.. its sad to say but we have to be honest here.. In my own experience there are many kids who's parents just got give a S&%T... and then there is a cycle of ignorance but no maliciousness..
Our schools should not be repsonible for bad parenting but there is soo much money involved the whole system is corrupt.
I understand we want to have good schools to attract Younger families to Maine to better our demographics... but the argument is trying to put the horse before the cart.. which one should come first? We already have one of the highest per pupil expenditures in the nation but have the lowest SAT scores..
I'm an early retiree, but I have young children. The two things we are looking for in a place to move is 1) quality of public schools and 2) quality of life. I believe that Maine has those things.
The only way to increase the population is to increase jobs. I got the feeling some Mainers didn't want Maine's population to expand too much. Because I'm retired and have large group healthcare, the low population is not a problem, and actually could be a real relief.
I realize that my younger children would have to move out of Maine for jobs, but they could certainly stay on the East Coast (if they choose to). However, I have adult kids on the West Coast, but they are living their own lives, and it's not like transportation isn't readily available.
BTW, your public schools have quite a good selection of sports. Even in at the middle school level. Your schools seem to be doing quite well overall. Where I live, they're cutting sports and music, and we have to pay for our kids to play athletics. Very few school districts have bussing (only in very rural areas).
I'm an early retiree, but I have young children. The two things we are looking for in a place to move is 1) quality of public schools and 2) quality of life. I believe that Maine has those things.
The only way to increase the population is to increase jobs. I got the feeling some Mainers didn't want Maine's population to expand too much. Because I'm retired and have large group healthcare, the low population is not a problem, and actually could be a real relief.
I realize that my younger children would have to move out of Maine for jobs, but they could certainly stay on the East Coast (if they choose to). However, I have adult kids on the West Coast, but they are living their own lives, and it's not like transportation isn't readily available.
BTW, your public schools have quite a good selection of sports. Even in at the middle school level. Your schools seem to be doing quite well overall. Where I live, they're cutting sports and music, and we have to pay for our kids to play athletics. Very few school districts have bussing (only in very rural areas).
It all depends what you are comparing it too... I have been critical of Maine's public schools from both my own experience and by looking at the statistical information available.
But I will be the first to say that any child can come here and get a good to great education with the right mindset and support.
And though there is NO school that I would be afraid to send my kids too there are school systems that I strongly prefer.
And they do not have to move out of Maine for work. But they might be faced with the difficult task of choosing between that exciting career path and leaving home or staying near family and accepting something less. That in of itself is a real shame
historicaly companies look at demographics to see if they can fill their ranks with qualified people. Maine has a strong blue collar workforce and I feel a great work ethic despite what the stats show. However we are the oldest state in the nation and also not well educated.
when are you looking to move and where are you looking?
You better choose carefully the school your child attends. With the recent budget reductions by the state, the rural area schools are taking a beating. Washington county schools are losing over $4.3M in state funding. There are always cuts to be made, but after a point, it becomes too expensive for a town to operate a small school. Raising taxes that people don't have the money to pay doesn't any either. If our town assesses the short fall, it would probably add over $200 to the tax bill we already have. Some towns are losing most of their funding. It's looking grim for the downeast schools and those in the county.
It all depends what you are comparing it too... I have been critical of Maine's public schools from both my own experience and by looking at the statistical information available.
But I will be the first to say that any child can come here and get a good to great education with the right mindset and support.
And though there is NO school that I would be afraid to send my kids too there are school systems that I strongly prefer.
And they do not have to move out of Maine for work. But they might be faced with the difficult task of choosing between that exciting career path and leaving home or staying near family and accepting something less. That in of itself is a real shame
historicaly companies look at demographics to see if they can fill their ranks with qualified people. Maine has a strong blue collar workforce and I feel a great work ethic despite what the stats show. However we are the oldest state in the nation and also not well educated.
when are you looking to move and where are you looking?
We are looking at the Kennebunks, York, and Cape Elizabeth. We're finishing up our home and it should be on the market and under contract hopefully very soon. We would like to put an offer on a home as soon as our buyers waive the home and roof inspections.
My sons are above average students who perform above grade level. My fourth grader's math skills range between the fifth and eighth grades. He 'chose' RSU21 because it has a new IB program. He's a unique kid -- very academically inclined. My second-grader is more well-rounded. Very gregarious, and often needs redirection. Both respectful and well-behaved.
We offer them a lot of support. They attend a public charter montessori, and they don't get homework. We provide afterschool academic enrichment for support and to encourage self-discipline.
We would not likely want a Maine rural location. We currently live in the most populated city in our county. Our 2000 sf home sits on a 5500 sf lot. If we had one or two acres, it would feel rural enough.
We believe that sports have a part to play in the development of children. Our children swim on a year-round team. My fourth-grader wants to joining a local bicycling club, and he would like to experiment with triathlon and X-country skiing. He rides his bike for several miles after he gets home from swimming; however, there are few safe places to ride in the city.
This probably gives a broad overview of what we're like
You better choose carefully the school your child attends. With the recent budget reductions by the state, the rural area schools are taking a beating. Washington county schools are losing over $4.3M in state funding. There are always cuts to be made, but after a point, it becomes too expensive for a town to operate a small school. Raising taxes that people don't have the money to pay doesn't any either. If our town assesses the short fall, it would probably add over $200 to the tax bill we already have. Some towns are losing most of their funding. It's looking grim for the downeast schools and those in the county.
We are looking at Cape Elizabeth and York County, i.e., York and the Kennebunks.
I live in California, and our schools are being cut to the bone. Music and band, gone. High school athletics are pay for play. You need to pay for each sport your child plays $400+ per sport depending on the district. Some districts are closing schools. Hundreds of teachers are being laid off in our district.
We live in a large school district; about 35,000 students. It's original funding level was approx. $130M several years ago. The state cut nearly approx. $33M of our funding, and are cutting an additional $18M in the next to years. That $18M of funding can increase if the budget figures are revised. 30% of our students are not native-English speakers, and we have a large special education population.
If a district encouraged parents to give an additional $200 per family or per student for families that can afford it, we would gladly do so. Parents from all income levels can contribute time through volunteering. Adversity can be very motivating.
We are looking at the Kennebunks, York, and Cape Elizabeth. We're finishing up our home and it should be on the market and under contract hopefully very soon. We would like to put an offer on a home as soon as our buyers waive the home and roof inspections.
My sons are above average students who perform above grade level. My fourth grader's math skills range between the fifth and eighth grades. He 'chose' RSU21 because it has a new IB program. He's a unique kid -- very academically inclined. My second-grader is more well-rounded. Very gregarious, and often needs redirection. Both respectful and well-behaved.
We offer them a lot of support. They attend a public charter montessori, and they don't get homework. We provide afterschool academic enrichment for support and to encourage self-discipline.
We would not likely want a Maine rural location. We currently live in the most populated city in our county. Our 2000 sf home sits on a 5500 sf lot. If we had one or two acres, it would feel rural enough.
We believe that sports have a part to play in the development of children. Our children swim on a year-round team. My fourth-grader wants to joining a local bicycling club, and he would like to experiment with triathlon and X-country skiing. He rides his bike for several miles after he gets home from swimming; however, there are few safe places to ride in the city.
This probably gives a broad overview of what we're like
Cape elizabeth has some of the best schools in the state along with yarmouth and bangor. York area is nice because of its proximity to Boston and portsmith NH is right there.
What has brought you to Maine? have you been here? Did you consider looking around the suburbs of Boston?
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