Challenging the Challenge Index--With Data

Jay Mathews' online column today focuses on Andy's and my debate with him about whether his "Challenge Index" method is the best way to identify America's best high schools. Andy gets to the crux of the issues and notes that some of the schools Jay lauds are actually doing worse than the statewide averages for certain subgroups.

Take a look, for example, at Tampa's King High School, #73 on the list last year: Only 13% of the school's disadvantaged 10th graders scored proficient on the state reading test in 2006, and 40% scored proficient in math. Both rates are lower than the statewide pass rates for disadvantaged students, which were 17% and 49%, respectively. The school's economically-disadvantaged 9th graders also performed below statewide average for disadvantaged students. Jay also mentions Pensacola High School, also in Florida, #39 last year. Similar story: In 2006, 13% of its disadvantaged 10th graders scored proficient in reading and 30% did so in math. Its economically-disadvantaged 9th graders also passed at lower than statewide average rates for disadvantaged students. Its black 9th graders lag statewide pass rates for black students in reading and math, and its black 10th graders do so in reading. (In both schools, white and non-disadvantaged students passed state tests at higher than state average pass rates for their subgroups.)

Jay says these schools deserve credit for their high AP and IB participation rates--despite poor state assessment performance--because the population they educate includes a significant percentage of disadvantaged students who are more likely to do poorly on tests or drop out of school. But even if you buy that argument, shouldn't a school that we're saying is one of the very best less than one percent in the country be able to get its disadvantaged students to pass state assessments at at least the statewide average pass rate for disadvantaged students? It's not as if Florida as a whole is know for doing an awesome job educating disadvantaged students; we're talking about a fairly low bar here. And these are not the only schools on the "Top 100" list that are failing to get subgroups of disadvantaged and minority kids up even to state averages for their subgroups.