WesternGulf Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 1,000 Top U.S. Schools 87 YES College Prep Southeast 102 Memorial 108 Bellaire** 187 Stratford 215 Debakey High School for Health Professions 385 Clements 517 Clear Lake 548 Elkins 574 Aldine 597 Stephen F. Austin 609 Taylor (Katy) 644 Cinco Ranch 651 The Woodlands 739 High School for Performing & Visual Arts 926 Cypress Falls 944 Lamar** 991 Cypress Creek **Gave both IB and AP tests. AP and IB participation are indicators of a school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpringTX Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/ I question the methodology, the relevance, and the statistical significance of their measures. First of all, they concede that all schools on this list of 1,000 are in the top 5% of ones in the country based on their measure. So that alone indicates it's a not a large range we're talking about here between the top and the bottom of the list. Let's look at an example. My kid attends The Woodlands High School, which is ranked #651, because of a ratio of 1.515 between AP tests taken and total students enrolled. So, in simplistic terms, the average kid at TWHS takes 1.5 AP tests. Ok. Now let's compare it with a randomly-selected school that is much higher on the list. So let's jump 300 places and look at school #351, which is Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, FL. Spanish River scored a 1.973 in its ratio. So we're talking about a 1.5 versus a 1.9 in number of AP tests taken. So taking 0.4 more tests in 4 years earns a school a ranking that is 300 places higher? What if, starting next year, in a push to raise their score, TWHS administrators encouraged every student to take 1 more AP test? (When I was in high school, I took 2 of them, and I was considering taking 3. So it wouldn't have been too difficult for me to take a 3rd.) Remember, the students don't have to pass it; they can get an average or even a low score, and it still bumps up their Newsweek ranking. So let's say TWHS offers a pizza to every kid who takes an extra test. So let's say that the TWHS ratio jumps from 1.5 to 2.5 tests by the next Newsweek report. Now TWHS would be ranked #113 instead of #651. That's a jump over 500 spots...just for each kid taking an extra test! Now let's look at the highest-ranked schools. #1 is the Talented and Gifted High School in Dallas. They average 14.128 AP tests per student. While TWHS averaged 1.515. So TAG students take 10 times as many AP tests. Does that make them ten times smarter? Is the school ten times better? Are they getting ten times the education? Or maybe those students just...TAKE MORE AP TESTS? Maybe their school encourages more of that. So what is the great disadvantage with students NOT taking tons of AP tests? That somehow makes a school into a lesser school? So a school ranked #999 on the Newsweek list is somehow lesser than a school ranked #1 or #2? The report cited recent studies showing college graduation rate being linked to number of AP tests taken. But the report didn't measure college graduation rate for those high schools. What am I missing here? It seems to me that, at BEST, this list shows us SOME of the better high schools...in no particular order. They should have just grouped them together and listed them alphabetically. If a school drops from #97 to #183, does that mean that the principal will lose his or her job? Does that mean that the school is "over the hill" or on a downward slide? I don't think it means anything of the sort. I think these rankings are essentially meaningless, at least for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonian in Iraq Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 I was reading through the Chronicle online and saw something on my old High School. Well, it was more about my old principal. I just thought that it was cool that the High School for Engineering Professions (HSEP) was mentioned. The engineering program Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 What if, starting next year, in a push to raise their score, TWHS administrators encouraged every student to take 1 more AP test?My high school down in McAllen did just that...in fact, they went so far as to mandate that any student in an AP class absolutely must take the AP test. Their grade in those classes was made to depend upon it. It sounded crooked to me...but most people complied, so it made the principal of the HS look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashikaga Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 1,000 Top U.S. SchoolsThe high school that I would have gone to (Milby) didn't make the list. 87 YES College Prep Southeast 102 Memorial 108 Bellaire** 187 Stratford 215 Debakey High School for Health Professions 385 Clements 517 Clear Lake 548 Elkins 574 Aldine 597 Stephen F. Austin 609 Taylor (Katy) 644 Cinco Ranch 651 The Woodlands 739 High School for Performing & Visual Arts 926 Cypress Falls 944 Lamar** 991 Cypress Creek **Gave both IB and AP tests. AP and IB participation are indicators of a school’s efforts to get students to excel and prepare for college. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12532678/site/newsweek/ The high school that I would have gone to (Milby) didn't make the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 You left out Westside High at 196. Props to Another HISD school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted May 25, 2006 Share Posted May 25, 2006 R. J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, NC...my alma mater made it at 288. Hah! Take THAT, Woodlands High! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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