The Best High Schools Debate

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=),

Laulainen of 9:43PM June 26, 2009

After finishing my AL GCE; can I apply to American University for College education, when I have to take my SAT/ACT. Will I be given exemption from credits in college since AL GCE is 13 years.

Imran Shah 3:45AM March 15, 2009

1. If not less than 50% of a high school's graduates of a certain year, have a valid SAT Score, this high school is eligible of participating the Rank.
2. All high schools listed, are voluntarily participating.
3. A high school graduate is a person, who is obtaining a fundamental educational qualification, and should be leaving the high school after the obtaining. The level of the qualification is equivalent to Grade-12 or Grade-13 in North America.
4. The list is ranked by the average(or mean) of total valid SAT Scores of all those graduates who have such a Score.
5. A graduate's valid SAT Score, should be taken within the school as the school's student.
6. Following the policy of College Board, the SAT Score is valid for two years. The period from the testing date to the graduating date, may mot exceed two years.
7. If one graduate have more than one valid SAT Score, only the highest one will be counted.
Example 1.
While John having Grade-11 time in School A in New York, he took SAT once, and had a score of 2210. John is now in his Grade-12, School B of California. John feels good to his achieved SAT score, and decides not to take SAT any more. John's SAT score of 2210, is not counted for School A, because he is not a graduate of School A. It is not counted for School B too, because it was not being taken within School B. John's story rarely happens. So, ignore it.
Example 2.
Mary is a student of a Canadian high school, and she may have Cambridge Advanced Level courses as options at school. She is graduating this June, and having a Provincial High School Diploma. The Cambridge AL Diploma requires at least three AL Subjects. However, Mary now has only one. So, she makes the decision that staying at this high school for one more year, in order to obtain the Diploma, and then goes to pursue a university degree in UK. Mary's valid SAT Score may be counted for next year, but not this year.
If you US News co-operate with College Board, this is too easy to be done!

DDDDDDDDDDDD 4:00AM December 27, 2008

"By the way, three of the four Washington State 'Gold' schools have shown less than state average gains in SATs since they started forcing AP on everyone. Hope that's food for thought."
Commented by Ray Burt of WA. Please see
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2008/12/5/the-new-high-school-rankings-are-here/comments/3
Is Ray Burt's statement true? I can't believe that a US News Gold Medal School's SAT would be below average!

6:05AM December 26, 2008

(continued)
I strongly hope US News or Newsweek no longer method in the current way. If a standardized test is needed to evaluate schools, I suggest SAT/ACT. The population of SAT/ACT test takers from places outside U.S.(North America) is fast growing. So, the high school SAT/ACT performance report might be a global high school ranking too.
Yours Sincerely,
ZHANG

5:24AM December 26, 2008

Dear Morse,
I had been thinking of writing to you(and Editor of Newsweek) for a long time, on the issue about methodology of high school ranking. Actually, It is a great mistake that you Americans treat AP/IB/AL or other Year-13("Grade-13") course as "challenging". In my opinion, one more year of learning lead to nothing challenging.
First, I need to introduce some basic background knowledge of educational systems of other countries. There are two Systems.
Within the North American and East Asian System, a student usually need to study for 16 years, in order to possess a Bachelor's degree. There are 12 years of fundamental education(primary and secondary school), and 4 years of college.
In Europe, the educational duration are usually the same 16 years, and this 16=13+3. In England, students usually have 6 years of primary school, and 7 years of secondary school. You now have the reason why Harry Potter consists of 7 episodes.
Primary and secondary schools in Ireland and Australia are 12-year-based. However, Grade-12 in Ireland or Australia is equivalent to Grade-13 in England or North America. e.g., a complete course of Calculus is given. The formal duration of a undergraduate program in Ireland or Australia are 3 years. So, I still category Ireland/Australia into the European and Commonwealth System.
It is clearly that IB Higher Level or GCE Advanced Level are Europe-based Grade-13 diplomas.
In North America, many Grade-12 high schools run extraordinary placement programs. College Board Advanced Placement is the most common. Other placement programs include IB Higher Level, GCE Advanced Level, and local community college/university courses.
Singapore follows the UK System. In Singapore, there is a kind of secondary schools named "Express", shortening the Curriculum one year than "Normal" schools. More than half of Singaporean students enroll into a "Express" school. It is just "Express", not "challenging".
US News and Newsweek have been ranking the high school by AP/IB/AL for years. However, evaluating such Grade-13 courses in a Grade-12 school, is less meaningful. You know that, Some very good high schools are not listed, because they do not encourage the concept of "advanced placement" by Examinations.
To image. If the same methodology is used onto a international high school ranking, well, European schools would occupy the majority of the top. Maybe there are only few decades of North American schools listed on the Top One Thousand. Most of the European high schools are 13-year-based, and every student is expected to pursue a c diploma successfully. So, according to the logic of US News or Newsweek, they are more "challenging" and "better" than those 12-year-based North American high schools.
(to be continued)

Zhang, Deming 5:22AM December 26, 2008