High School Test Scores

[Jdarg]

I have a niece and nephew at the best prep school in central Florida. My niece is currently exploring some of the finest universities in the south. She's not doing the entirety of your list and it doesn't seem to be an issue. While SWHS is not an exclusive, highly regarded prep school, you don't pay $15,000.00 a year to send your kids there.

The fact is that SWHS is getting better by the year, and I suspect it is about to get a lot better. The kids coming through middle school now are from the influx of parents that arrived here after 9/11 (coincided with the St Joe boom). The parents are deeply involved and the kids are getting quality, competitive educations at the South Walton middle schools (Seaside Middle is an outstanding school). I would expect that over the next decade, you will see a number of SWHS kids attending a wide array of universities including some on the aforementioned list.

Excellent points. And they all go back to the same idea of high expectations for our schools and our kids.

 

[scooterbug44]

I have a niece and nephew at the best prep school in central Florida. My niece is currently exploring some of the finest universities in the south. She's not doing the entirety of your list and it doesn't seem to be an issue. While SWHS is not an exclusive, highly regarded prep school, you don't pay $15,000.00 a year to send your kids there.

The fact is that SWHS is getting better by the year, and I suspect it is about to get a lot better. The kids coming through middle school now are from the influx of parents that arrived here after 9/11 (coincided with the St Joe boom). The parents are deeply involved and the kids are getting quality, competitive educations at the South Walton middle schools (Seaside Middle is an outstanding school). I would expect that over the next decade, you will see a number of SWHS kids attending a wide array of universities including some on the aforementioned list.

I was talking about the applicant pools for MIT and Harvard because that is what the original poster was asking about - obviously they have higher/different requirements than "the finest universities in the South". Colleges want well rounded students with a variety of interests, not just good grades/test scores and the competition is brutal. At Harvard, more than 25,000 students are applying for 2,100 spots and MIT admits about 10% of its applicants - and each of those DENIED is an exceptional student.

Thanks to parental involvement I think our local schools will continue to improve, but I don't think it is inaccurate to say that a student who only attends class at SWMS isn't a strong candidate for MIT. IMO parental involvement, high standards, and outside educational opportunities are a huge factor in student success.

 

[GoodWitch58]

The lack of resources/budget/staff, etc. for guidance/academic counseling seems to be a problem in more than a few Florida schools. Many students have not had the proper college planning/preparation soon enough IMO

Anyone have an idea why this is so--beyond the normal lack of appropriate funding for positions that are not administrative?

Would like to work on improving the situation, but need more info....

 

[ShallowsNole]

The timing will work out- remember, we all had 7 period days, sports, jobs, and a social life- and we all survived!;-)

I know it will...I'm just remembering that my job was at my parents' store, I was able to do my homework when we didn't have customers, and being as we had a keg in the back, it was where EVERYONE hung out and so that was my social life in 1970's SoWal. Back then I never realized how easy I had it!

 

[Jdarg]

I was talking about the applicant pools for MIT and Harvard because that is what the original poster was asking about - obviously they have higher/different requirements than "the finest universities in the South". Colleges want well rounded students with a variety of interests, not just good grades/test scores and the competition is brutal. At Harvard, more than 25,000 students are applying for 2,100 spots and MIT admits about 10% of its applicants - and each of those DENIED is an exceptional student.

Thanks to parental involvement I think our local schools will continue to improve, but I don't think it is inaccurate to say that a student who only attends class at SWMS isn't a strong candidate for MIT. IMO parental involvement, high standards, and outside educational opportunities are a huge factor in student success.

Parents like us are looking at a great undergrad experience, preferably NON - Ivy, knowing that post grad is the real target.;-)

 

[Johnny Post]

To the OP - it is very difficult to compare data between two states. The SAT/ACT is standard across the country. But FCAT and similar state testing standards can vary wildly. Don't get too concerned on school grades and state testing standards.

It has been my experience that the student is the most important factor in testing. While good teaching and preparation will undoubtedly improve a student's scores, you will simply not see students outpeform their own abilities. So if you have a good student in Georgia, there should be no reason to expect them to become a bad student or perform poorly on testing.

As for SAT/ACT, I don't see how those numbers are indicative of a school's quality. While far more students take the ACT than the SAT in the south, unless a school is providing mandatory prep courses, then the school really won't control the outcome.

Sometimes its easy to try and pinpoint student achievement on the educational institution and ignore the student.

 

[Interested Girl]

Parents like us are looking at a great undergrad experience, preferably NON - Ivy, knowing that post grad is the real target.;-)

What we tried to do was provide the best environment for our children to be prepared for what ever school they chose to attend. We did not limit our childrens hopes and dreams for their education. We embraced their goals and helped them to reach for whatever star they chose. :roll:

 

[Busta Hustle]

as a former walco school board member once asked me, "if we are 48th then who is 49th 50th and 51st?"
On a more serious note i know of 1 kid that moved here with 2 years of high school to finish. lived in sowal but drove to niceville. He is now at Vanderbilt. I'm sure he raised test score averages. I also heard that U of F has highest standards for enrollment. So would a good measure for how well the high schools are doing in college prep be how many grads could at least get accepted if they wished to attend? Can any one comment on why drop out rates are so high? Thanks.

 

[mdd88jd]

The drop out rate is an issue that I have been working on pretty hard the past two years. First, it is impossible to rely on the state's statistics on the drop out rate because they keep changing the definition of a "drop out." My idea is to measure by the number of kids that enter the 9th grade and who do not, after five years (allow one year for failure), graduate from high school by either receiving a regular diploma or a GED. That's a pretty broad definition. I have asked a staff member to track the kids that entered our various 9th grades in 2005 -2006 school year and find out whether they graduated or dropped out as defined above. We are still tracking. Of course, many transferred so we are looking for those students. I hope to have the results or the raw numbers pretty soon.

My suspicion is that most students "drop out" because after being mandatorily (spelling, or is that a word?) retained and turn 16 in the seventh or eighth grade simply give up and find a job.

Just my opinion.

 

[Busta Hustle]

thanks for working on reducing dropout rates regardless of how they are defined. I think you are right on target in your previous post regarding ongoing teacher training to enhance a continuously more challenging curriculum for those students who would qualify for advanced placement. please do not forget the value of recess and physical education as a part of every day wellness. 7 periods of academics with no recess no p.e. then combined with a crappy lunch never works. respectfully submitted.