SAT Scores

[MOM2ANSLEY]

I just got the info on our school district....last year our states avg SAT score was much lower than national....993, but worse our district 937...and worse the actual school we are zoned for.....873...but the football team rocks.....priority right. Any way I knew it was bad, but did not realize how bad. Luckily dd is only 3 and I have time to explore our options...If she likes we will keep her at the school where she just started preschool...at her request. Anyway I just needed to share with someone else who cares about their childs education.

[LiamnEmma]

SAT scores in and of themselves do not speak to the actual school climate, the education provided, the dedication of the teachers and other personnel or anything else about that school. My ds (and next year my dd) attend the largest, lowest achieving school in the district in which I live. I'm very content with the school overall. I volunteered in the classroom last year and I'm active in the PTA. There is a ton of teaching--good teaching, compassionate teaching--occurring at this school. But, it's large and has the highest socioeconomic status diversity--for example, both students who likely only eat at school and the mayor's family (million dollar house) attend this school. : I prefer it this way. I want my kids to see all sorts and all types. I could send them to the "rich kids" school up the hill, but what's the point? Then they'll be with a homogeneous group and what's to learn in that except exclusion?

My point, check it out before you write it off. If you aren't interested in public school, or even private school, but want home schooling, that's great. But don't write it off soley on the basis of a district report card. It says so little.

[DebraBaker]

I'm sorry but I take the other position. I would be concerned enough to look at other schooling options if I was in the OP's shoes. With the new SAT format, those scores are downright frightening. In our school, the individual components would have those values. OK, I'm exaggerating but not by much. Test scores *do* indicate how the children are doing in things that can be measured. I think it is important for high school students to work hard and have stiff competition with their academics.

The football thing mystifies me. Our HS, however, is highly ranked (star quarterback just signed with Penn State <DS is on the football team>)

I wand cultural diversity for my children but we do have Asian, African American, and Muslim (some girls with Hijab) kids so it isn't as though it is a completely white school.

It would be nice for the playing field to be level so every child who wants a high quality education could have one.

Sigh....

Debra Baker

[MOM2ANSLEY]

I have nothing against public schools, just want the best for dd(as we all do)
The school I have her in is one of the lowest priced and one of the highest educationally. I had planned on hs'ing but don't think its gonna happen due to work sched and other issues...and dd has told me she wants to go to school, not "play" school with mommy. Their are children of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds at the school she is in, but as a parent it is also our job to foster understanding and diversity, through church, charity, and by having a diverse group of friends ourself.

As far as football...our public schools football team won state playoff for its division 3 or 4 yrs in a row...many of the players get signed with colleges...and I know one currently in the NFL....and I feel sure our football players can't all be the ones with the good SAT scores.

[DebraBaker]

Compared to our surroundings, I live in a very modest home within an excellent school district. I want my children to have the best education I can give them.

We homeschooled for awhile but it isn't for our family.

So far, my children are getting a wonderful education that includes a lot of honors and AP classes. Next year, they are going to have a prof from my UNI over to teach a class (to the tune of $1,500 ug) and they will earn 6 credits.

Their music program is wonderful as well my children play stringed instruments.

I honestly don't get the football thing much to my son's (really sons') chagrin.

DB

[MOM2ANSLEY]

The football thing , I guess, is my way of thinking that the funds are not being allocated properly. Does that make sense???

[ChristaN]

I can see that concern about funds allocation. It also occurs to me that, perhaps, the neighborhood from which this school draws has a lot of low income children who believe that their only way "out" is through sports, so the low standardized test scores may indicate a low priority placed on education at home.

It is possible to get a good education even when attending school with other children who do not have that emphasis coming from home or their own personal aspirations, but it is contingent upon having good teachers who are willing to support that rare student in the school who is aiming for something more. It all requires your child to be willing to stand apart from the crowd and value something (education) that her peers may not value. As to whether I would ask this of my child, I guess it depends on the individual child, her personality, ambition, willingness to be 'different,' and what my other options were.

Do you have any charter schools that you could look at? Is moving to another district a possibility? Could you start up a charter with the input of other parents before your dd gets to school age? There are companies that specialize in running charters (mosaica education is one that comes to mind b/c they are starting up 3 charters in my state this year -- www.mosaicaeducation.com ).You could contact them and see what it would take. Also, a parents group could be started with the input of the district with an emphasis on improving the schooling for college bound students. You could offer to chair the committee or get it started.

[wildmonkeys]

The discussion of what impacts a HS scores is a complex and interesting one, but it seems a bit premature given your next choice seems to be between between private ES, public ES, and homeschooling. If test scores are something that drives your decision-making process, have you checked out your neighborhood ES test scores? Many times a HS draws from multiple ES & Middle School/Junior High Schools and a neighborhood could be districted for a well-performing ES and a not so great Middle School/Junior High or High School. Also, do you live in an area with much redistricting and growth? We are currently districted for an elementary school that I am thus far very pleased with and a diverse (racially & economically) middle school with a great reputation, but a HS with reported problems. As a result, dh & I are not letting the negativity about the HS impact any of our decisions until a few more rounds of redistricting flush out which school is even going to be "our" school, ykwim?

Finally, I have heard much about schools within schools in the area in which I live. Meaning if your kids are in the AP track or a magnet program that is academically driven the test scores of that subset of motivated/supported/prepared students may not be reflected in the aggregate test scores. Our local ES doesn't have the greatest scores in our district, but that is largely a result of the fact that the teachers spend a fair amount of time catching-up kids for whom English is a second language. The ESL kids ultimately do okay on the test, but if you break out the reading scores for kids whose primary language is English - they rival the "chi chi" school whose test scores are widely praised at mommy & me and the like. It may be worth your while to both breakout the scores and go visit the school and see what they are doing with the kids before making a decision.

HTH
BJ
Barney & Ben

[velochic]

For each community, there will always be an emphasis on something that is important to THEM. It sounds like in your area it's sports. It could be, as a pp said, that sports is the way they are able to move on to something else. We have the same situation in our "town" (really a suburb). Sports is the focus and academics are not. With a husband who is a university professor, believe me... this does not go over well.

We actually started looking into our options for school when dd was born. It can be a long process. As it turned out, we found the perfect school for dd (it's over 30 minutes away, though, and we are responsible for transportation). It's a language immersion school that is the most culturally/economically diverse student population in the city and also has SAT averages close to 1300 (so a major focus on academics). Unfortunately, it's private so we pay for it. But education is probably one of the top 3 priorities to this book-loving, multi-lingual and multi-cultural family. If WE could find the right school for OUR dd in this hell-hole of America, I know you can. Keep your eyes open!!