School Ratings
Apr 24th 2011 | 7:16 am
#17
Professional Cat herder
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 5,709
From: TORONTO- yay!!!
Re: School Ratings
Do they orbit a cucumber sun ?
Apr 24th 2011 | 8:00 am
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 53
Re: School Ratings
misplacedheidi has given you a link to the Fraser Institute website. It is the only attempt at ranking schools in Canada. However, be aware that the Fraser Institute is not a disinterested body like Ofsted but a right wing think tank with an agenda to promote private over public services.
The BC government (who have been a fairly right wing lot for the last 10 years) recommend that you do not choose a school on the basis of the FI rankings and, from my limited experience of the school system here, I agree.
That said, I suppose you wouldn't be human if you didn't have a peek.
Around here the schools pretty much reflect the communities in which they are located. If you find somewhere that you would like to live the chances are that the local schools will suit your offspring just fine.
The BC government (who have been a fairly right wing lot for the last 10 years) recommend that you do not choose a school on the basis of the FI rankings and, from my limited experience of the school system here, I agree.
That said, I suppose you wouldn't be human if you didn't have a peek.
Around here the schools pretty much reflect the communities in which they are located. If you find somewhere that you would like to live the chances are that the local schools will suit your offspring just fine.
Apr 24th 2011 | 9:03 am
#20
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,188
Re: School Ratings
Instead of worrying about the schools, take the responsibility to enhance your child's educational experience with after and off school tutoring plus set specific goals of attainment.
Apr 24th 2011 | 9:53 am
#21
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 6,695
From: Vancouver, BC
Re: School Ratings
I second this advice. The FI rankings are load of bollocks and are effectively a political statement. The main determinate of a child's educational 'success' is parental involvement/educational level and a child's peer group. So, if you can barely string a coherent sentence together yourself and you move into a trailer park in the middle of nowhere, your kids will be buggered.
Apr 25th 2011 | 3:07 am
#22
BE user by choice
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,854
From: A Briton, married to a Canadian, now in Fredericton.
Re: School Ratings
Couldn't agree more....I do just that. I firmly believe that parents are the main movers in education, but they work in partnership with the school, unless you are going down the home schooling route which gives me horrors! The problematic bit comes when you are cast adrift in the open boat of ignorance, and groping blindly towards what one hopes to be a good school, based on nothing more tangible than an optimistic worldview.
Apr 25th 2011 | 6:36 am
#23
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,908
From: Oakville, ON
Re: School Ratings
"A Nation of Wimps" by the wonderfully-named Hara Estroff Marano should be required reading for every parent tempted by the hothousing/helicopter parenting/private tutoring crap that the likes of Sylvan or Oxford Learning promote. It can do a whole load more harm than good.
Apr 25th 2011 | 6:42 am
#24
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,188
Re: School Ratings
Now, now, Mr Oink, play nicely with the other kids, don't lead them down the path of temptation - next you'll be advocating that parents should turn up to their kids' job interviews and step in to negotiate salary and benefits...
"A Nation of Wimps" by the wonderfully-named Hara Estroff Marano should be required reading for every parent tempted by the hothousing/helicopter parenting/private tutoring crap that the likes of Sylvan or Oxford Learning promote. It can do a whole load more harm than good.
"A Nation of Wimps" by the wonderfully-named Hara Estroff Marano should be required reading for every parent tempted by the hothousing/helicopter parenting/private tutoring crap that the likes of Sylvan or Oxford Learning promote. It can do a whole load more harm than good.
Apr 25th 2011 | 9:49 am
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 232
Re: School Ratings
Hi there, we're moving next year so have started researching schools too. We narrowed down the area based on where we want to live and found the school district websites and contacts to be quite helpful. I did look at the FI site which has been quite useful, especially for giving a percentage of ESL pupils. I've made a few appointments to have a look around various schools so will take it from there. I think so much is down to the feeling you get when you look around isn't it. Good luck with your search and move.
Apr 25th 2011 | 10:09 am
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: School Ratings
I second this advice. The FI rankings are load of bollocks and are effectively a political statement. The main determinate of a child's educational 'success' is parental involvement/educational level and a child's peer group. So, if you can barely string a coherent sentence together yourself and you move into a trailer park in the middle of nowhere, your kids will be buggered.
Apr 25th 2011 | 11:32 am
#27
Professional Cat herder
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 5,709
From: TORONTO- yay!!!
Re: School Ratings
If they are anything like the NFER CAT tests in the UK then they are a test of the schools ability to play the system and fudge the results. My lack of anonymity meansi can't describe in detail how various schools I've worked in have played the system
Apr 25th 2011 | 1:32 pm
#28
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,908
From: Oakville, ON
Re: School Ratings
I have heard tales of that and more devious shenanigans from enough independent sources to have an inkling of how widespread it is.
Apr 25th 2011 | 1:46 pm
#29
Professional Cat herder
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 5,709
From: TORONTO- yay!!!
Re: School Ratings
Actually with so called "baseline testing" it is completely the opposite
You want your intake cohort to perform as badly as possible.
Boosts your value added scores
Only amateurs concentrate on trying to improve sats and gcse results, real experts work on the baseline you are judged from
You want your intake cohort to perform as badly as possible.
Boosts your value added scores
Only amateurs concentrate on trying to improve sats and gcse results, real experts work on the baseline you are judged from
Apr 25th 2011 | 2:09 pm
#30
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,908
From: Oakville, ON
Re: School Ratings
Actually with so called "baseline testing" it is completely the opposite
You want your intake cohort to perform as badly as possible.
Boosts your value added scores
Only amateurs concentrate on trying to improve sats and gcse results, real experts work on the baseline you are judged from
You want your intake cohort to perform as badly as possible.
Boosts your value added scores
Only amateurs concentrate on trying to improve sats and gcse results, real experts work on the baseline you are judged from
