You know how I like to talk about Durham Schools. Well, here's a press release from DPS with a link to a very impressive website...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Four DPS Schools Ranked in Nation's Top 7% on Washington Post Challenge Index
Durham, NC – Jordan High, Durham School of the Arts, Riverside High and Northern High were recently noted for their high percentages of students taking college-level tests.
Jay Mathews, a columnist for the Washington Post and author of a blog on class struggle, has devised a high school ranking system that lists the four Durham Public Schools’ high schools among the best in the nation. The same four schools were also included on the 2010 Challenge Index.
“I was very pleased to see our schools listed on the Challenge Index,” said Superintendent Eric J. Becoats. “This type of ranking system illustrates how our schools are providing the rigorous tools needed for our students to succeed in college.”
The Challenge Index is very different than other rankings. Many high school ranking lists rely upon SAT or ACT scores, state test results or the percentage of students claiming their intentions to attend four-year colleges. All of those criteria, according to Mathews, are influenced by family income.
In an effort to remove socioeconomic factors from the ranking system, the Challenge Index puts weight on the efforts of school staffs to prepare students for college and results in a simple formula: Add up all the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education exams taken in a given year and divide by the number of graduating seniors. Every school should reach a ratio of at least 1.000. That would reflect as many college-level tests taken as diplomas issued.
Mathews lists finds that only 1,910 U.S. public high schools meet the target ratio – that is only about 7% of high schools nationwide. Among the 1,910 schools named, the four Durham Public Schools had the following rankings:
Jordan High -- 453
Durham School of the Arts -- 661
Riverside High -- 1622
Northern High -- 1662
See the full list of schools included in the 2011 Challenge Index.
Congratulations, Durham!
