Post by d204mom on May 21, 2008 7:58:15 GMT -6
A list is nice but student achievement is even better
May 21, 2008
THE ISSUE: Newsweek magazine has put Waubonsie Valley High School in its list of the top 1,300 public high schools in the nation.
OUR VIEW: It's gratifying to be sure, but Newsweek bases its list on only one criterion.
First, let us say that our local public schools offer a fine education.
Be they in Naperville School District 203 or Indian Prairie School District 204, residents can and should feel comfortable that their offspring are getting the kind of education that will help them become successful in life.
Accordingly, it is good to see Waubonsie Valley High School ranked as one of the top 1,300 high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine.
When we first saw the announcement of this, we admit we were a bit puzzled.
It's not that we don't consider WVHS a top high school, but we would also think that Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools would make such a list as well.
Don't misread this.
In no way do we intend to disparage WVHS's accomplishment.
But Newsweek seems to base its list of the top 1,300 high schools on only one criterion.
That method is to take the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
All of the schools on the list of 1,300 are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.
Newsweek can, of course, develop its list any way it wants, and certainly how many students take advanced courses as a ratio of how many graduate is one valid criterion - but it is only one.
Others might include percentage of graduating seniors, performance on standardized tests, percentage of students attending college, and many others we're sure educators can devise.
WVHS Principal Jim Schmid has put an emphasis on Advanced Placement courses and the district has a lot of them and many students who take them. The idea is that AP courses prepare the students for the rigor of college.
We heartily agree with Schmid on this and applaud the students who take the courses and the parents who probably have to push their youngsters out of their comfort zones to take something more challenging that may help them later.
A ranking on a list is certainly gratifying, but getting students to extend themselves to excel in high school is the real prize.
May 21, 2008
THE ISSUE: Newsweek magazine has put Waubonsie Valley High School in its list of the top 1,300 public high schools in the nation.
OUR VIEW: It's gratifying to be sure, but Newsweek bases its list on only one criterion.
First, let us say that our local public schools offer a fine education.
Be they in Naperville School District 203 or Indian Prairie School District 204, residents can and should feel comfortable that their offspring are getting the kind of education that will help them become successful in life.
Accordingly, it is good to see Waubonsie Valley High School ranked as one of the top 1,300 high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine.
When we first saw the announcement of this, we admit we were a bit puzzled.
It's not that we don't consider WVHS a top high school, but we would also think that Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools would make such a list as well.
Don't misread this.
In no way do we intend to disparage WVHS's accomplishment.
But Newsweek seems to base its list of the top 1,300 high schools on only one criterion.
That method is to take the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2007 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
All of the schools on the list of 1,300 are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.
Newsweek can, of course, develop its list any way it wants, and certainly how many students take advanced courses as a ratio of how many graduate is one valid criterion - but it is only one.
Others might include percentage of graduating seniors, performance on standardized tests, percentage of students attending college, and many others we're sure educators can devise.
WVHS Principal Jim Schmid has put an emphasis on Advanced Placement courses and the district has a lot of them and many students who take them. The idea is that AP courses prepare the students for the rigor of college.
We heartily agree with Schmid on this and applaud the students who take the courses and the parents who probably have to push their youngsters out of their comfort zones to take something more challenging that may help them later.
A ranking on a list is certainly gratifying, but getting students to extend themselves to excel in high school is the real prize.