Before folks got carried away with sarcasm and “I told you so,” it would have been best to examine a few facts regarding the ranking by U.S. News and World Report of the Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology (TJ):
- The ranking fell to fifth last year. The data for that ranking pre-dated the change in the admission process for TJ;
- The changes in the admissions process were adopted in 2020 and were first effective for the class entering in the fall of 2021. Those students would be juniors this year.
Next, it is worthwhile to examine the criteria used by U.S. News:
- College readiness (30 percent)– proportion of a school’s 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams in the 2021-2022 academic year;
- College curriculum breadth (10 percent)—percentage of a school’s 2021-2022 12th graders who took, and the percentage who earned qualifying scores on, multiple AP or IB exams;
- State assessment proficiency (20 percent)–standardized tests measuring student proficiency in subjects related to mathematics, reading and science. Data was “based on 2021-2022 state assessment data” (Emphasis added);
- State assessment performance (20 percent)—This score is calculated based on the total assessment scores compared with what U.S. News predicted for a school with its demographic characteristics in its state. As the magazine explains, “In all 50 states, there is a very significant statistical relationship between the proportion of a student body that is Black, Hispanic and/or from a low-income household – defined as being eligible for free or subsidized school lunch – and a school’s results on state assessments. Schools performing best on this ranking indicator are those whose assessment scores far exceeded U.S. News’ modeled expectations.” This year’s score is based on 2021-2022 data;
- Underserved student performance (10 percent)—“This is a measure assessing learning outcomes only among Black, Hispanic and low-income students.” As with the others, it is based on 201-2022 data;
- Graduation rate (10 percent)—Percentage of students who entered in the 2018-2019 school year who graduated in 2022.
Conclusion: the fall to 14th in the rankings is attributable to the students who entered TJ before the change in the admissions process took effect. It cannot be said to be the result of “lowering of standards” in the admissions process.
At this point, it is worthwhile to add some perspective. The rankings can be volatile. In 2018, the school was ranked 10th, and in 2019, 4th, followed by three straight years as no.1, and a no. 5 ranking last year before this year’s ranking of 14. As the top data analyst at U.S. News noted, the smallest differences can affect rankings. “At these top schools, everyone graduates, everyone’s proficient in their state assessments, everyone’s getting a qualifying score on APs,” he said. “So we’re really splitting hairs on the number of AP exams of qualifying scores or the number that earns the highest performance level on math, science and reading.”–RWH