I'm not all that familiar with Rochester, NY, but I do know it is a urban/suburban area with multiple high schools. Here are the results of two such schools, Brighton and Thomas Jefferson. (information found at www.greatschools.org)
Brighton:
New York State Regents Exams
Scale: % passing
Mathematics A
98% (2009)
97% (2008)
99% (2007)
The state average for Mathematics A was 61% in 2009.
Mathematics B
81% (2009)
75% (2008)
82% (2007)
The state average for Mathematics B was 68% in 2009.
English
96% (2009)
93% (2008)
95% (2007)
The state average for English was 82% in 2009.
Living Environment
99% (2009)
95% (2008)
96% (2007)
The state average for Living Environment was 80% in 2009.
Physics
86% (2009)
82% (2008)
78% (2007)
The state average for Physics was 77% in 2009.
Chemistry
94% (2009)
94% (2008)
96% (2007)
The state average for Chemistry was 74% in 2009.
Earth Science
91% (2009)
89% (2008)
94% (2007)
The state average for Earth Science was 72% in 2009.
Integrated Algebra
95% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
The state average for Integrated Algebra was 72% in 2009.
Global History and Geography
93% (2009)
91% (2008)
The state average for Global History and Geography was 71% in 2009.
U.S. History and Government
95% (2009)
97% (2008)
The state average for U.S. History and Government was 80% in 2009.
 |
|
White
Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino|
| This School | State Average |
| Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program | 8% | 44% |
| Limited English proficient | 2% | 7% |
|
| This School | State Average |
| All Students | 93% | 76% |
| Female | 95% | 79% |
| Male | 91% | 71% |
| Black or African American | 75% | 61% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 60% | 59% |
| Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander | 89% | 81% |
| White | 97% | 86% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 74% | 65% |
| Not economically disadvantaged | 96% | 80% |
| Students with disabilities | 80% | 56% |
| General-Education students | 95% | 79% |
Thomas Jefferson:
Mathematics A
35% (2009)
56% (2008)
63% (2007)
The state average for Mathematics A was 61% in 2009.
Mathematics B
16% (2009)
58% (2008)
58% (2007)
The state average for Mathematics B was 68% in 2009.
English
56% (2009)
45% (2008)
38% (2007)
The state average for English was 82% in 2009.
Living Environment
64% (2009)
54% (2008)
58% (2007)
The state average for Living Environment was 80% in 2009.
Physics
Data not available for this school (2009)
18% (2008)
22% (2007)
The state average for Physics was 77% in 2009.
Chemistry
48% (2009)
10% (2008)
Data not available for this school (2007)
The state average for Chemistry was 74% in 2009.
Earth Science
39% (2009)
32% (2008)
43% (2007)
The state average for Earth Science was 72% in 2009.
Integrated Algebra
34% (2009)
Data not available for this school (2008)
The state average for Integrated Algebra was 72% in 2009.
Global History and Geography
43% (2009)
25% (2008)
The state average for Global History and Geography was 71% in 2009.
U.S. History and Government
46% (2009)
51% (2008)
The state average for U.S. History and Government was 80% in 2009.
 |
|
Native American or Native Alaskan|
| This School | State Average |
| Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program | 78% | 44% |
| Limited English proficient | 18% | 7% |
|
| This School | State Average |
| All Students | 51% | 76% |
| Female | 49% | 79% |
| Male | 53% | 71% |
| Black or African American | 54% | 61% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 48% | 59% |
| White | 43% | 86% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 64% | 65% |
| Not economically disadvantaged | 32% | 80% |
| Students with disabilities | 24% | 56% |
| General-Education students | 56% | 79% |
The real kicker?
Brighton:
| Total per pupil expenditures | $14,834 |
| |
That's roughly $1,500 under the state average.
Thomas Jefferson:
| Total per pupil expenditures | $15,732 |
| |
(I said I wasn't going to go into this much, not that you wouldn't).
There are some differences between teacher quality and classroom size in these schools but not enough to cause the results to be this drastically different. I think the biggest influence on kids concerning their education is always going to be at home. Brighton can spend less per student and achieve far greater results because the home environment is that much better off for those Thomas Jefferson students (as noted by the students eligible for reduced or free lunch). The short of it is, the teacher in the classroom can do almost nothing about this. Holding teachers accountable for the final grades of their students is wrong in epistemological terms and further reduces a teacher's willingness to work in poorer school districts.
I don't have time to come up with a better system right now (topic for another day, perhaps). Teachers certainly need to be held accountable, as any public employee does, but the method of using students' scores as a true measure of the teacher's quality is inaccurate because different teachers will begin the year with students with different abilities. The answer will almost certainly have to come from within the community as only they will know the students well enough to know if they show improvement, which may be a better goal than an arbitrary passing number.
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