Hi Jack,

I finally took a glance at https://www.greatschools.org/gk/ratings/

• · The rating number is completely based on standardized benchmark tests, just as I suspected.
  • o Doesn’t include funding per student. I think this can vary widely and can become important
  • o Doesn’t include teacher/student ratio
  • o Doesn’t include student achievements in non-academic domains
  • o Doesn’t include how many extracurricular programs
  • o Doesn’t include number of complaints (like bloody fights) or safety incidents
  • o Doesn’t include how many hours students spend in academic vs non-academic learning
  • o Doesn’t include how much effort the school makes to bring up those lagging behind
  • o Doesn’t include how old or rundown the buildings are
  • o Doesn’t include the quality and quantity of school facilities like computers, sports, audio/video, labs …
• · For schools below high-school level, the rating focuses on exactly 2 aspects in 50/50 weight namely 1) current test scores and 2) improvement in test scores of a given batch of students, as they learn new stuff.
• · There’s no comparison between 2 states (as both tests are not identical). The rating algorithm focuses on data within a single state exclusively. So a 8/10 school in one state may have lower absolute academic performance than a 6/10 school in another school. I would guess the states with lots of East Asians and Indians will have a higher bar.

My wish — there should not be only one rating, but 10 sub-ratings, but of course data isn’t available and many important aspects of “conducive learning environment” is not quantifiable — fundamentally difficult to derive a numeric rating.

Many parents make big decisions based on the GreatSchool rating numbers. These numbers are probably the best way to compare two schools within a state, but it’s very, very limited comparison.

Would you compare 2 students based on nothing but their total exam score across 3 subjects? That’s done in most countries I know including the systems in my and my children’s countries. In contrast, U.S. colleges (and some competitive-admission high schools) in general would look at the score as part of the yardsticks.

It’s incorrect, narrow-minded, naïve to conclude that my son as a whole is rated 8/10 and my neighbor’s daughter at the same age is rated 7/10 simply based on “total score”. This total score number only measures academic not the overall “quality” of the person.

I would like to refuse to regard the GreatSchool rating as a broad, all-compassing measurement of a school’s effectiveness as a place to nurture, motivate, coach, and prepare the young mind. I hope to have the backbone to withstand the conventional wisdom that anything 7/10 or lower is a bad school.

https://www.schooldigger.com/aboutrankingmethodology.aspx shows that School digger “ranking” is 100% based on standardized test scores, and even less comprehensive than GreatSchools rating.

https://1330152open.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/conducive-learning-environment-engage-him/ describes what a good school means to me, as a parent.