Mary E. Hill wrote:
"Clisby" wrote in message
...


Mary E wrote:

Where do I go for statistics about schools in my area? I've got 8

private

grade schools (son will be starting kindergarten next year) that would

work

for me as far as location and reputation (that I know of) is concerned.

I

also know student to teacher ratio and enrollment figures.

What I need to know is how the students perform. How does the teaching
stack up against other schools locally and nationally?

Is there any place I can get this information for private schools?

Thanks a bunch - this is SO important!

Mary



I'm not sure what you mean by how the teaching stacks up; no test score
is going to tell you that.

However, if you're looking for a single source of
test scores, Ohio probably has an Independent Schools Association (not
necessarily that exact name) that might have information. As someone
else said, you might check with any accrediting bodies; but, for
example, I'm not sure how concerned the Montessori accrediting agencies
are with how students do on the ITBS. Also, not all private schools do
standardized testing (my daughter attends one that doesn't) and those
that do might use different tests.


FWIW, when I was deciding where to send my daughter to kindergarten, I
didn't approach it by researching test scores. I did a lot of thinking
about what kind of educational experience I wanted her to have, and what
educational setting I thought would be best for her. I talked to
friends and neighbors about their experiences, and I visited the schools
I was considering. So if I had decided a Montessori or Waldorf school
would be best for her, that would have eliminated a lot of other
choices, regardless of test scores. If sending her to a Catholic
school had been important to me, that would have eliminated a bunch of
schools, also.

Have you spent time in the schools you're considering, to get a feel for
what they're like?

Clisby


I'm actually familiar with quite a few on my list, so I do have a feel for
them. We are Catholic, but the eight on my list are all Catholic I want
to know if the students leaving these schools are well-prepared for high
school performance. I left a Catholic grade school and was not at all
prepared for high school. Needless to say, that one is not on my list!

Thanks!



Does the diocese (assuming these are diocesan schools) keep information
on school test scores? Here in Atlanta two of the elementary schools
closed a couple of years ago, partly for financial reasons - but
according to what I read in the newspaper, the diocesan education
officials were dissatisfied with test scores as well. I inferred that
the diocesan Catholic schools here did administer standardized tests;
whether that information is made publicly available is a whole different
story - I don't know.

Clisby