vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

11.30.2007

Montpelier high school scores

The 2008 ranking of America's best high schools according to U.S. News & World Report is just out and Montpelier High School ranked No. 5!!!!! This is in a field of 18,790 schools in 40 states.

Gold awards went to the top 100 schools. The next 405 earned silver awards. The next 1,086 were recognized with bronze awards. Five Vermont schools received bronze awards: Arlington Memorial, Danville School, Hazen Union, Randolph Union and Stowe Middle/High School.

Note that all the recognized schools are small.

According to an explanation of the ranking formula included with the report, the methodology was developed by School Evaluation Servcies, an education data research business operated by Standard & Poor's. The principle guiding the evaluation was that a great high school must serve all its students well.

First the evaluators looked at reading and math test results for all students, factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled and then look for schools that were performing better than their statistical expectations.

Then the evaluators compared math and reading proficiency rates among disadvantaged students to see which schools where performing better than the state average.

Finally, schools that made it over these two hurdles were judged nationally on college-readiness performance. "This third step measured which school produced the best college-level achievement for the highest percentage of their students.

It might be interesting to see the raw data on all Vermont schools. As the debate continues over how to slow the growth of school spending, do these results contribute to the discussion? What is the message they send you?

Go here to check out the ranking.

-- Nancy Remsen

posted by vt.Buzz | 12:53 PM |

Comments:

Does anyone wonder if jw is a product of the Montpelier system?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:41 PM, November 30, 2007

Was anyone else unaware that military recruitment in high schools was not legally required until 2002 and comes to us as a result of "No child left behind?"

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:54 PM, November 30, 2007

Anonymous said...

"Does anyone wonder if jw is a product of the Montpelier system?"

Gee, sport, what would you talk about without me?

If you're not scouring the net for posts I may or may not have made to other sites, you're campin' out here speculating as to my relationship to MHS.

This obsession of yours has gone 'round the bend. You're not gonna make me get a restraining order are ya?

If you and bubbles spent your time learning what the hell you're talking about you might not get your heads handed to you so often.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 3:43 PM, November 30, 2007

Military recruitment in high schools isn't legally "required"...it's legally "allowed"

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:04 PM, November 30, 2007

"If you and bubbles spent your time learning what the hell you're talking about you might not get your heads handed to you so often."

I'm not the one who posted the first message, so looks like your charming, magnetic, and persuasive personality has made you several enemies on these blogs. Congratulations. Keep it up.

And my head handed to me? By you? How? When? Never happened.
It's delusional and hubristic for you to think that you've handed anyone his or her head. You've done no such thing.

Handing someone his or her head means that you've actually beaten or overcome the person in the general recognition of others, whereas all you do is contradict, call names, and hurl insults. Contradicting, calling names, and hurling insults is not "handing anyone their heads."

Next.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:04 PM, November 30, 2007

jw,

i
If you can't playing nicer with your friends, your mom will take your internet privileges away again.

your pal,
sport.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:05 AM, December 01, 2007

Anonymous said...
"If you and bubbles spent your time learning what the hell you're talking about you might not get your heads handed to you so often."

"I'm not the one who posted the first message, so looks like your charming, magnetic, and persuasive personality has made you several enemies on these blogs. Congratulations. Keep it up."

If you, yourselves and bubba say so, sport. The more anonymous enemies, the better.

"And my head handed to me? By you? How? When? Never happened.
It's delusional and hubristic for you to think that you've handed anyone his or her head. You've done no such thing."

You normally comb the net looking for posts from other people when they expose ya for being the ignorant, ill-informed nitwit you are?

Nice try.

"Handing someone his or her head means that you've actually beaten or overcome the person in the general recognition of others, whereas all you do is contradict, call names, and hurl insults. Contradicting, calling names, and hurling insults is not "handing anyone their heads."

Ah, the ol' "if a tree falls in the forest...." song and dance, eh?

Nice try. No sale.

You can open as many anonymous accounts as you want, sport. The more anonymous nitwits who don't know their sorry butts from their elbow, the better.

I'll leave your noggin outside the door. You can pick it up at your convenience.

Don't mention it.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 6:41 AM, December 01, 2007

Military recruitment is required if your school wants federal funding.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:45 AM, December 01, 2007

"Nice try. No sale."

This is exactly the kind of dumb, meaningless, self-congratulatory comments that you repeat over and over in your postings and it means nothing and adds nothing. Your'e just talking to yourself.

"I'll leave your noggin outside the door. You can pick it up at your convenience."

Again, hurling a couple of insults and then saying that you've beheaded me is just plain dumb.

It's one thing for the emperor to have no clothes. It's another thing for him to foolishly parade his naked self around the town reveling obliviously in his own foolishness. Check it out, sport: they're all laughing at you.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:56 AM, December 01, 2007

Anonymous said...

"Again, hurling a couple of insults and then saying that you've beheaded me is just plain dumb."

No, it's just plain true.

You can post under as many anonymous accounts as you like, sport. The more the merrier.

As I've told you from day one, the less the likes of you and bubbles think of me, the better I feel about the World.

As for these alleged critics you cite, it's funny how you all call yourselves anonymous.

J Cooper
Montpelier, VT

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 9:48 AM, December 01, 2007

"If you're not scouring the net for posts I may or may not have made to other sites, you're campin' out here speculating as to my relationship to MHS."

Can someone please enlighten the less web-literate of us? How does someone scour the net looking for posts (other than typing JWCooper into Google,) and how would JWCooper know that someone is scouring the web? Is there actually a way to tell? And how could you tell if someone was inventing tons of identities for themselves, anonymous or not?

Whoever you all are, I'm enjoying the byplay.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:30 AM, December 01, 2007

I know how ya do it, sport. Why don't you tell the class why you do it?

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:47 AM, December 01, 2007

I did it because I wanted to see what else there was out there about such a hate-filled person from Montpelier.

I found that you post everywhere. To me it demonstrated a pathological personality. You spew your hatred not only on this blog, but in New York, California, etc.

It reveals how important you think you are. You feel that New York City needs to know your feelings about an obscure Republican Congressman from the Upper West Side of Manhattan, hundreds of miles from where you live. You feel that TV show host Bill Maher needs your help deciding what guests he should have on his show?

What aren't you an expert on? Is there anyone on the planet who can't benefit from your wisom and insight?

It demonstrates that you are crying out for help.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:32 PM, December 01, 2007

Hate-filled? Pathological?

I just think he's amusing and clever.

I think you need to relax.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:40 PM, December 01, 2007

Why can't you guys talk about the topic and stop fighting with each other - it is so boring.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:44 PM, December 01, 2007

Congratulations to Montpelier High School!

That ranking is impressive, especially when you realize they are only an average spender, compared to other Vermont schools.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:00 PM, December 01, 2007

Actually, You seem to feel strongly that I don't.

Gee, that's a shame, sport.

Precisely what in our 2.5 weeks together would give you the impression that your disapproval would deter me from saying or doing anything?

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 8:31 PM, December 01, 2007

Anonymous said...

"Why can't you guys talk about the topic and stop fighting with each other - it is so boring."

Fine. I think Montpelier HS's high ranking is great. As a citizen and a taxpayer, it's good for the City and individual property values because nothing enhances the value of a community's residential properties like a good school system.

That said, like the rest of the State, they're going to have to consolidate school systems and merge with U-32 like they had originally intended to 40 years ago?

What say you?

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 8:42 PM, December 01, 2007

We can't afford not to consolidate.

But don't expect the VTNEA to agree.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:18 AM, December 02, 2007

It's not the teachers, it's the administrators. They're the ones who make the big bucks.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 12:34 AM, December 02, 2007

"it's not the teachers, it's the administrators. They're the ones who make the big bucks."

Verifiable proof please JW. What hard facts do you you have on the fat cats....please name names and specifics.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:41 AM, December 02, 2007

Surely you jest...jw come up with facts on ANYTHING?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:15 AM, December 02, 2007

bubba said...
"Surely you jest...jw come up with facts on ANYTHING?"

Well, bubbles, it's a fact you haven't come with any. As always, thanks for makin' life so easy for me.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 7:34 AM, December 02, 2007

But the question was valid -- what big bucks do administrators make? And compared to whom?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:45 AM, December 02, 2007

It was, eh?

Compared to teachers, administrators make big bucks. Fewer school systems, fewer administrators needed. Do the math or get somebody to do it for ya, sport.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:42 AM, December 02, 2007

Actually, that question wasn't from sport. It was just me, wondering about the difference (truly) between administrators' and teachers' pay. Are you referring to principals or superintendents or folks at the Ed department?

It was always my impression that for the work they do, principals and particularly superintendents were equally as badly paid as teachers.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:31 AM, December 02, 2007

All of the above.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:39 AM, December 02, 2007

I don't often find myself agreeing with jwcoop10, but in this case I have to concur; even the WCAX story on the rating noted that even folks in Montpelier were worried about the declining enrollment at MHS, and the fact that it might lead to program/personnel cuts there.

It is amusing to watch this phenomenon. Many in Montpelier fought tooth and nail when the notion of developing Sabin's Pasture was brought up. Montpelier has effectively shut down housing development in the city, and now they're facing a declining population of children that's going to require either painful cuts to their award-winning school system; an unbearable tax burden; or consolidation along the lines that jwcoop has suggested.

It's the same across the state. Small, expensive schools are going to have to be consolidated if there's going to be any relief from the current property tax burden, which is unsustainable.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:40 PM, December 02, 2007

"Compared to teachers, administrators make big bucks."

Sombody asked jw to support his statement that the problem isn't the teachers, it's the administrators. All he came up with is the above. That's not a response.

Give some facts and figures please.

The fact is, there are far more teachers than there are administrators, and in a time of shrinking enrollment and consolidation, many of those teachers will have to go -- along with the superfluous administrators. You won't save a ton of money just by reducing the administrators.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:02 PM, December 02, 2007

Question: how do you think Montpelier's school would be rated if New Orleans shipped about 50 students from their worst neighborhoods there, and maybe Atlanta and Newark did the same? Not that Montpelier's schools aren't good, but being the kids of lily-white trustfunders and elitists kind of tilts the scales, wouldn't you say? (Can hardly wait for jw's carefully thought-out answer)

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:54 PM, December 02, 2007

"Give some facts and figures please."

"The fact is, there are far more teachers than there are administrators, and in a time of shrinking enrollment and consolidation, many of those teachers will have to go -- along with the superfluous administrators."

Well, sport, seein' hows you've yet to demonstrate how the Teachers Union is the problem and I raised the subject of school consolidation, I'm in the same boat I was when I started posting here 2.5 weeks ago - namely waiting for the ignorant, ill-informed likes of you and bubbles to stop bitchin' about Doug Hoffer, the NEA, Al Gore, Anthony Pollina, me and everyone else to the left of Clueless McLaughry, Ruth Dwyer and the rest of the take back Vermont trash and prove absolutely anything.

Feel free to demonstrate where I said there would be no loss of teacher positions.

That's what I thought.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 3:32 PM, December 02, 2007

I still don't see your facts JW...
it's time to do the heavy lifting you tell the rest of us to do. You've got nothing...never did and never will.

Please crawl back under your rock.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:49 PM, December 02, 2007

bubba has left a new comment on the post "Montpelier high school scores":

"Question: how do you think Montpelier's school would be rated if New Orleans shipped about 50 students from their worst neighborhoods there, and maybe Atlanta and Newark did the same? Not that Montpelier's schools aren't good, but being the kids of lily-white trustfunders and elitists kind of tilts the scales, wouldn't you say? (Can hardly wait for jw's carefully thought-out answer)"

And I can hardly wait for you to demonstrate how such an influx would affect Montpelier any differently than it would any other school system in Vermont, bubbles.

And while you're up, feel free to demonstrate how the Montpelier School System is predominately populated by "..the kids of lily-white trustfunders and elitists.." as you put it.

That's what I thought.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 3:51 PM, December 02, 2007

JW,

You are pretty quick to challenge everyone else for their facts but pretty slow to reposnd to those asking you for your facts.

C'mon big guy dazzle us or are you out on the playground stealing everybody's lunch money.

I'm waiting to be educated by the master.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 4:59 PM, December 02, 2007

JW....I am waiting to be edekated by y'all.

It must be rush hour at the ice cream store.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:48 PM, December 02, 2007

bubba and jwcoop need either a job or a least a hobby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:24 AM, December 05, 2007

True, but would you hire jwpoop? Exactly. That's WHY he doesn't have a job.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:27 AM, December 06, 2007

And the factual evidence you have to support your assertion that I don't have a job is.....what?

That's what I thought.

Tell it to your imaginary executive buddies at IBM, little fella.

Four days later and the fact remains that 3.5 weeks after I stumbled upon this joint, the next fact you and bubbles manage to dredge up between ya will be the first.

That's what's known in this World as a fact.

So, once again, since I spend the bulk of my time responding to the ludicrous, factually-challenged, coalition of the clueless contentions of the likes of you and bubbles it's the only fact I'm obligated to point out and since you keep doin' my job for me, I really don't have to do much of anything but point it out and give ya the occasional friendly nudge now and then.

Until you punks demonstrate the ability to put a winning hand together, I'm happy to call your bluff.

I'm lazy. You're dumb. Big difference.

Face it, sporticus. In addition to being an ignorant, ill-informed, knuckle-draggin' nitwit who doesn't know his ass from his elbow about much of anything, you're a dinosaur. Now go find yourself a tar pit and fall in it.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 11:04 PM, December 10, 2007