Suburb Suggestions for Bloomington and Golden Valley Commutes

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by GraceMorgn

Thanks for all of the feedback. We are probably going to look into the newer parts of Savage (Prior Lake Schools) in addition to Eden Prairie, Plymouth, Wayzata, Chanhassen and Chaska. The drive is right on the border from what everyone is saying, so we are going to try it out a couple times during our home search to get an idea.

Golden Valley (Robbinsdale) and Hopkins schools weren't rated as well as we would like. (We used schooldigger.com) Apple Valley and Eagan drives seemed too far to General Mills. Orno, Long Lake and Edina were out of our price range for homes.

Thanks again.

Because of the roads you would take, it would probably take less time to get to General Mills from Apple Valley then it would from Savage. Eagan would for sure be a faster commute. Much of your route from Savage will be on roads marked at 40-50 MPH with stoplights every 6 blocks-1 mile. Something you can check out when you get here.

Robbinsdale and Hopkins fall into that "ok but not great" category for metro schools.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Because of the roads you would take, it would probably take less time to get to General Mills from Apple Valley then it would from Savage. Eagan would for sure be a faster commute. Much of your route from Savage will be on roads marked at 40-50 MPH with stoplights every 6 blocks-1 mile. Something you can check out when you get here.

Robbinsdale and Hopkins fall into that "ok but not great" category for metro schools.

With all due respect, I would stack the Hopkins school district up against any public school district in the state.

District Awards & Honors | Hopkins School District #270

and not just because I'm a product of the school district 30 years ago. I currently have friends who send their kids to Hopkins schools, and from all accounts the district continues to excel.

[Thegonagle]

In no particular order, SW Minneapolis, Hopkins, Edina, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Plymouth, W. Bloomington, Golden Valley.

Why go farther? There's nothing wrong with the schools in any of those areas, so the best reason is bigger lots and houses for less money. Thing is, you still have to pay; the cost, though, is measured in miles with your commute.

[GraceMorgn]

I don't have a history with Hopkins school district in anyway, but the reason we have ruled it out is their test scores are really low, especially at the elementary school level. I know that is not the only consideration when choosing a school district, but compared to other areas they were by far some of the lowest and were declining in many of the schools. This is also the case for Robbinsdale, which is where most of Golden Valley goes.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by GraceMorgn

I don't have a history with Hopkins school district in anyway, but the reason we have ruled it out is their test scores are really low, especially at the elementary school level. I know that is not the only consideration when choosing a school district, but compared to other areas they were by far some of the lowest and were declining in many of the schools. This is also the case for Robbinsdale, which is where most of Golden Valley goes.

I'd be curious as to the source of your information, and also curious about the cause for the decline if it does exist.

Keep in mind that most of the elementary schools in the Hopkins school district (as well as the high school and both junior high schools) are really in the City of Minnetonka, so sites like Greatschools.org will list them under Minnetonka:

Minnetonka Schools - Minnetonka, MN | GreatSchools

This site also seems to like Hopkins schools. *shrug*

Hopkins Independent School District 270 - Hennepin County - Trulia

[GraceMorgn]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I'd be curious as to the source of your information, and also curious about the cause for the decline if it does exist.

Keep in mind that most of the elementary schools in the Hopkins school district (as well as the high school and both junior high schools) are really in the City of Minnetonka, so sites like Greatschools.org will list them under Minnetonka:

Minnetonka Schools - Minnetonka, MN | GreatSchools

This site also seems to like Hopkins schools. *shrug*

Hopkins Independent School District 270 - Hennepin County - Trulia

I used School Digger based on school district. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MN/district/14260/search.aspx

They have quite a few facts that are sliced and diced a couple different ways. All of the data is taken from Minnesota Department of Education.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by GraceMorgn

I used School Digger based on school district. http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MN/district/14260/search.aspx

They have quite a few facts that are sliced and diced a couple different ways. All of the data is taken from Minnesota Department of Education.

I have to agree with you about Hopkins. It has really gone downhill in the past several years and while it is on the "ok" list, it doesn't really stack up to the other schools you are considering.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Parents' Guide | Testing Our Schools | FRONTLINE | PBS

What Standardized Tests Do Not Measure

Although many believe that tests are the best or only indicator of student performance, it is important to remember that there are other indicators of a child's knowledge and skill levels. Moreover, achievement tests are sometimes used to measure or evaluate aspects of education for which they are not designed, including how well a school is educating its students.

--Motivation, Creativity, and Other Skills
Despite what some see as problems and controversies, tests are very successful in measuring the things they are designed to measure. There are, however, many skills and attributes tests do not measure. For example, standardized tests do not measure a child's motivation to understand new material and perform well in school. They also will not measure a child's creativity or curiosity, nor the ability to cooperate in a group, challenge assumptions, or complete in-depth projects. None of these characteristics is tested, yet they are all essential skills for further education, workplace preparation, and life in general. It is important to remember that performance on standardized tests is not a complete indication of the full range of a child's academic abilities.


--School Quality
National standardized achievement tests (such as the Stanford Achievement Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, etc.) are designed to measure a student's knowledge and skills in academic subject areas in relation to a national sample of students at the same grade level. The tests are very successful at differentiation -- that is, giving parents accurate information about how their child is performing compared to his or her peers. This is how the tests are most useful.

These kinds of achievement tests, however, are not designed to measure school quality (yet they are often used to do just that). The national tests are designed on a "one size fits all" model. Because curriculum varies from state to state and from community to community, a school with a curriculum that aligns with the test will fare better than a school with a curriculum that does not.

Furthermore, norm-referenced tests do not measure school quality because they include questions unrelated to school learning and curriculum, such as things students might have learned from a visit to a museum or from extracurricular reading. Test makers include questions not covered in school because their goal is to create the most statistical differentiation among students. (This statistical variation is commonly known as a "bell curve.") Remember, norm-referenced tests do not measure how much students know in an absolute sense, but how much they know in relation to their peers.

Finally, even criterion-referenced tests that are closely aligned with state standards and curriculum do not measure other aspects that define school quality, such as the level of expectation that is held for all students and the overall standard of teaching and learning.


--Overall Student Performance
Standardized tests are not designed to be the single determinant of a student's achievement and knowledge. Teachers can use a number of other means to determine how well students understand content and acquire skills. These include essay questions, projects, observations, journals, portfolios, and performance exams. Some of these assessments are based on work done over a long period of time, rather than a single test taken in a few hours. Moreover, these assessments are based solely on what is studied in the classroom.