樱桃视频 ratings FAQ

樱桃视频 Ratings overview

What do 樱桃视频 Ratings tell me?
Our ratings provide an overview of a school’s test performance by comparing the school’s state standardized test results to those of other schools in the state. Ratings are given for each grade and student category (gender, ethnicity or other student group) for which test results are available. Keep in mind that when comparing schools using 樱桃视频 Ratings, it’s important to factor in other information, including the quality of each school’s teachers, the school culture, special programs, etc.

Which tests are 樱桃视频 Ratings based on?
樱桃视频 Ratings are based on each state’s main standardized tests. To get the details on specific tests used in your state, go to any school’s ratings page and click on the link below the ratings that says “See which tests were used.”

Why don’t private schools have 樱桃视频 Ratings?
Private schools are not required to publicly report test results, so they do not have 樱桃视频 Ratings.

Why do some public schools not have 樱桃视频 Ratings?
If a public school does not have 樱桃视频 Ratings, there were no test scores reported for that school, results were incomplete or there were not enough results available across all schools in the state to make a valid comparison.

Can I compare 樱桃视频 Ratings across different states?
No, 樱桃视频 Ratings cannot be compared across states, because they are based on test results and different states use different tests.

樱桃视频 Ratings calculation

What data is used in calculating 樱桃视频 Ratings?
樱桃视频 Ratings are based on the most recent available standardized test results for schools in each state. The results we use are typically the percentage of students scoring at or above the proficient level on the test in each grade and subject (e.g., grade 4/math) and each grade, subject and student category (e.g., grade 4/math/Hispanic students). The proficiency levels and student categories are defined by the state Department of Education.

How are the “By Grade” ratings calculated?
We start by calculating ratings for each grade/subject combination; then we average those ratings into the By Grade ratings you see on the page.

The test results for all schools for a given grade/subject are sorted from low to high and divided into deciles, or 10% portions. The bottom 10% of schools get a rating of 1, the next 10% get a 2, on up to 10, which indicates the school’s result is in the top 10%. If there are several identical values that overlap from one rating decile to another, they are given the higher rating.

Once ratings are established for all grade/subject combinations, each school’s ratings are averaged to create the By Grade ratings that you see on the page. For example, the rating shown for grade 4 is an average of that school’s ratings for each subject tested in grade 4. If the grade 4 rating is a 10, it means that, on average, fourth-grade students at the school performed better than 90% of the fourth-grade students whose test results were reported at schools statewide.

To ensure that the ratings are not based on a set of data that is too small to be statistically reliable, a rating is not calculated if fewer than 50 schools reported test results for a particular grade/subject combination.

How are the “By Category” ratings calculated?
The By Category calculation is similar to the By Grade calculation. We start by calculating ratings for each grade/subject/category combination; then we average those ratings into the By Category ratings you see on the page.

The ratings for each student category provide an alternate view of a school’s performance, comparing the performance of a given group of students at the school with the overall student population of the state. The categories are defined by the state. For example, the California Dept. of Education releases separate test results (called disaggregated results) for 26 student categories, including gender, ethnicity and special student groups (e.g., students with disabilities).

To create the ratings for each category, we compare the performance of that category in each grade/subject to the decile rankings we have established for that grade/subject. The performance value used is the percentage of students in the category scoring at or above the proficient level, as defined by the state.

You can use the By Category ratings to compare student groups at the school. For example, if one category receives a rating of 3 and another category receives a rating of 7, this suggests that an achievement gap exists between these categories of students at this school.

How are the Overall Ratings calculated?
The Overall Rating for each school is calculated by averaging that school’s ratings for all grade/subject combinations. For example, if a state test is given in reading and math in grades 3 through 10, the Overall Rating for a school serving grades K-5 would be the average of the ratings for grade 3/math, grade 3/reading, grade 4/math, grade 4/reading, grade 5/math and grade 5/reading.

Note that the Overall Rating is not an average of the By Grade ratings you see displayed on the page, but rather, an average of the underlying grade/subject ratings, which are used to create both the By Grade ratings and the Overall Rating. We use these underlying ratings, instead of averaging the By Grade ratings, to reduce rounding errors.

Why are some student groups not shown?
The different student groups shown in the By Category section are defined by the state Department of Education. To protect students’ privacy, if there are fewer than 10 students in a group, that group’s test score is not publicly reported. If no test results are available for a particular student group, no rating can be created for that group.

Find 樱桃视频 Ratings for a particular school: Search now

How can a school’s Overall Rating be high if the ratings for certain student groups are low, or vice versa?
If a school’s Overall Rating is high, that means its test scores are better than the test scores of most other schools in the state. If a particular student group’s rating is low, that means the test scores for that particular group are lower than the scores of most other students in the state. This may mean the school is helping most students achieve at a high level, but is not serving particular groups of students as well.

Conversely, if a school’s Overall Rating is low, that means its test scores are lower than the test scores of most other schools in the state. If a particular student group’s rating is high, that means the test scores for that particular group are better than the scores for most other students in the state. This may mean the school is helping certain groups of students achieve at a high level, but is not serving the majority of students as well.

How are the District and City Ratings calculated?
District Ratings are calculated by taking the Overall Rating for each school in the district and weighting it by the number of students enrolled at the school. We then take the average of the weighted ratings. Similarly, City Ratings are calculated by averaging the weighted Overall Rating for each school in the city.

樱桃视频 Ratings are based on each state’s main standardized tests. To get the details on specific tests used in your state, go to any school’s ratings page and click on the link below the ratings that says “See which tests were used.”

What is “weighting” and why is it used in District and City Ratings calculations?
Weighting each school’s Overall Ratings means that schools with more students count more than schools with fewer students. Weighting makes the District and City Ratings more representative of the performance of the entire student population.

Why do some districts and cities not have 樱桃视频 Ratings?
District and City ratings are not created if there are too few schools with ratings in the district or city. For districts and cities with fewer than 10 schools, at least 50% of the schools must have ratings in order for the district or city rating to be calculated. For districts and cities with 10 or more schools, at least 30% of the schools must have ratings.

樱桃视频 ratings vs. other ratings

How do 樱桃视频 Ratings compare to the ratings given by the state Department of Education?
Some states have their own ratings systems, and their method of calculating ratings may differ significantly from the way 樱桃视频 Ratings are calculated. 樱桃视频 Ratings are based solely on test performance for one year. Check with your state Department of Education to find out if your state has a rating system and how its ratings are calculated.

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