Concerned about school quality in Casper (Gillette, Sheridan: real estate, leases, house)

[kamrelo]

We are seriously considering relocating to Casper in the next 9 months. We have 6 and 7 year old boys and so quality of schools is a big consideration. Any input about the schools in Casper, good or bad, would be most appreciated. The scores on Great Schools simply aren't that well, great. Is there some reason that test scores are relatively low that is not reflected in the quality of the schools?

[trailblazzer]

what area in casper.? that will make a difference im sure.

[kamrelo]

Originally Posted by trailblazzer

what area in casper.? that will make a difference im sure.

It seems to be all over Casper. There are a few good (8/10)elementary schools but once you get to the middle school and high school, the highest score is 4/10. This is really quite marginal. I'm just wondering if there's more the story than a score on Great Schools can tell or if the schools are really pretty bad.

[ElkHunter]

I am not sure why rating system you are using, or just how they are judging the system, but Wyoming schools are notoriously in the top 5 or so in the nation. Wyoming schools are better funded than just about any schools. Our teachers draw top pay. Many times I have seen links comparing schools in the nation and Wyoming schools come out on top or very close to it.

Everybody is so dead set against common core but tell me, how can schools be compared unless they are all teaching the exact same thing as a base line?

5 of my children went through the Wyoming school system. None of them went to college, but yet all 5 work I in professional positions. The schools certainly attributed to this. That's how I judge the schools, by what they produce, not by a website that hasn't got set standards to compare.

[trailblazzer]

Top marks elk hunter, that's what ive heard so many times. wyo. has the best school systems in the nation. but also heard Sheridan is a top district. and has great teachers.

[WyoNewk]

I don't know where you got your ratings nor what formula they used to rate the schools, but I was just reading a story the other day in our local newspaper that Wyoming is slightly below the national average for ACT tests. (Wyoming's average is 20.1, while the national average is 21.)

One thing that was pointed out in the story is that Wyoming is one of the few states nationally that requires ALL students to take the ACT test. It stands to reason that the average would be lower when the entire student population must take the test rather than if it's only taken by students who need to do well on it to get into the college of their choice and/or to earn a scholarship. Many of these kids are probably struggling just to get through high school; others simply don't care how they do on it and certainly aren't going to study for it. If ACT scores are used at all in rating the high schools (likely), that would certainly explain some of the low ratings.

My kids both attended schools in Gillette and have done well. My son's college stint was short (UW majoring in beer drinking), but he went on to score high in his navy tests and now earns a 6-figure salary (as does his wife, another Wyoming product). My daughter also attend UW for 5 years and earned a double degree, one in pharmacy. She was student president and a research assistant at UW's pharmacy school and is now in middle management for Walgreens.

Incidentally, I happened to be seated next to a Walgreen's recruiter once on a flight from Denver to NYC. My daughter had just gotten started at the pharmacy school and I mentioned that to the recruiter. She seemed excited when I mentioned UW and stated that of all the pharmacy schools in the U.S., they prefer UW grads. She said they're ready to go to work the first day on the job, whereas it takes a few months to get most new pharmacy grads ready to work on their own. Sure enough, they recruited my daughter and promoted her to pharmacy manager within just a few months, then to regional manager (20-25 stores) within a couple years.

As a former newspaper editor/publisher, I also preferred to hire UW journalism grads for the same reason -- most that I hired seemed capable of handling responsible positions upon graduation and could advance into management in short order. As you may have guessed, I'm very high on the Wyoming school system all the way through college.

[laina1980]

Great school scores are very well known as matter fact may be most well known when comes to schools. Most real estate websites use it when looking for a house it often pops up the schools in area.

However, it can or cannot mean much, just depends. They use for their rating mostly a system of state standardized testings and community reviews. Mostly it is the test results though. Because every state is different with their tests, this makes a difference. Here in Texas state tests are notoriously highly regarded. They can be more important than a report card so when you see a school with a low score you can pretty much assure the school will be not so great ,but not all the time. People also say schools with higher scores tend to be the middle to upper class areas while you can have a school zoned in a wealthy area but also poorer area and the school will score low. This is just what I have read.

I think in the case of rural states these scores shouldn't matter. They really only come in handy in medium to large cities where there is a ton of school options.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by laina1980

Great school scores are very well known as matter fact may be most well known when comes to schools. Most real estate websites use it when looking for a house it often pops up the schools in area.

However, it can or cannot mean much, just depends. They use for their rating mostly a system of state standardized testings and community reviews. Mostly it is the test results though. Because every state is different with their tests, this makes a difference. Here in Texas state tests are notoriously highly regarded. They can be more important than a report card so when you see a school with a low score you can pretty much assure the school will be not so great ,but not all the time. People also say schools with higher scores tend to be the middle to upper class areas while you can have a school zoned in a wealthy area but also poorer area and the school will score low. This is just what I have read.

I think in the case of rural states these scores shouldn't matter. They really only come in handy in medium to large cities where there is a ton of school options.

To me, test score mean zip. When I lived in Texas, the school shut down teaching for a full week. They had no homework. On Monday-Wednesday they were taught how to take tests, how to choose an answer when you had no idea, and they took several practice tests. Then on Thursday and Friday, they took the state wide exams. What did this prove?

In Wyoming, the schools are all funded the same, not by rich or poor neighborhoods. The schools are primarily funded by. other means than taxes. Our State land leases, along with taxes on our energy (coal, gas, oil, etc..) pay for our schools and they are well funded. Entirely different than tax base funding from the tarrifs on the neighborhood.

If the suddenly told the students to lay down their pencils, clear your desk, take the test, it would be. more trustworthy. Or, if they used common. core where every student in the nation took the same test and were tested on actual things they were taught, I would believe the results. Talking to my grandson, about 10% of the questions were actually about things they had been taught. So just what kind of measurement is that?