[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by jbdlfan

Marion County schools scored quite well in this report. Plenty of cool stuff going on in the schools next door to the north.


Local schools rank among nation’s best | Ocala.com

Good for them. This was a study of schools with economically disadvantaged students and so the title is a bit confusing..

Below exerpted from the above linked article

"U.S. News teamed up with American Institutes for Research (AIR) — a Washington, D.C.-based behavioral and social science research organization — to produce the ranking.
The groups measured academic outcomes at each high school, using race and economic status to also gauge a school's success.
The organization had a three-step process in determining the best schools.
The first step compared reading and math test scores to the national and state averages and focused on economically disadvantaged students. If those students scored above average, the school advanced.

The second step compared test scores of the “least-advantaged” students — black, Hispanic and low-income. If those students scored above average, the school advanced to the final step.

Step three looked at college readiness by measuring Advanced Placement or IB participation rates and student test performance. If these students fared better than the average, then the school passed the final step.
Only about 10 percent of the schools passed all three steps and were ranked.
Gold medals were awarded to the top 500 schools with the highest college readiness index. Silver medals were awarded to schools based on the college readiness index from 501 to 2008.
Another 2,869 schools that passed the first two steps, but not the third, received bronze medals. Those schools either did not offer any AP or IB programs or did not meet the minimum college readiness score."