Schools
Kolek: U.S. News Report Uses Old Data
Dr. Mary Kolek, superintendent of New Canaan Public Schools, says the U.S. News report that ranked NCHS 15th in the state and 544th in the nation relied on old data and weights AP information very heavily.
Below is a statement issued by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Kolek on the annual rankings, released Tuesday, of public high schools in the United States.
New Canaan High School was ranked 15 in the state and 544th nationally, according to U.S. News.
Kolek told Patch in a phone interview that U.S. News when it comes to the rankings focuses essentially on one measure: AP courses.
"While we deeply appreciate that AP is an important opportunity for students that clearly we look at multiple indicators to determine whether students are college- or career-ready," Kolek said.
"And every indicator that we have says to us that our students are beyond well prepared for college success. So if that is the intent of the U.S. News report on a school’s the ability to prepare their students to be successful, we know that we rank very high nationally in addition to at the state level," she continued.
Here is Kolek's statement:
New Canaan High School embraces the goal of preparing all students for success with 21st century university study and global citizenship. Toward this end the HS has a sustained record of preparing students who qualify for the most highly competitive university programs in the nation as well as internationally.
Consistent with our beliefs and best practice standards, we use multiple types and sources of evidence and data to track progress and evaluate achievement, especially with respect to complex performances and outcomes, such as college readiness. Feedback over time, including performances on standardized tests such as CMT and CAPT, SAT and AP Tests, as well as that gained through adjudications and via feedback of universities, and alumni and their families indicates we are achieving and excelling at our mission.
Although the US News and World Report rankings are based on a specific and narrow data (national and rankings essentially use AP test participation, performance and total grade 12 enrollment to determine ranking) we do take time to study such reports in order to inform our thinking and goals. Toward that end we examined the teacher student ratio, which was higher than that of some of our neighbors and the AP data driven, College Readiness Index.
The information in the ranking report uses 2010-11 AP data; Dr. Luizzi is examining the posted data since the information on the site changed from an earlier morning version. We are analyzing the reported data since our district multiple year reporting does indicate we have significantly increased or participation over time while maintaining high levels of successful performance from 2010 to the present. The HS reports the following AP data:
- 2009-2010 - 494 tests, 91% 3 or higher
- 2010-2011 - 554 tests, 93% 3 or higher
- 2012-2013 - 553 tests, 95% 3 or higher
While we recognize that participation in AP courses is only one pathway to pursue rigorous studies and that students have other ways of engaging in such robust studies, at the same time we are committed broadening opportunity for those students wishing to participate in AP courses. The district is working to both expand the number of AP courses offered as well to increase opportunities for more students to elect to take on the challenge of such courses.
These goals were reflected in the school’s continuous improvement plan and the 2013-14 BOE budget. High School Principal Bryan Luizzi will be addressing these goals and the topic of how schools assess successful preparation for 21st century university study and global citizenship in future editions of the RAMOGRAM as well as at PTC/PFA meetings and community conversations.
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