A worrisome sign:
Test scores at this school fall below the state average. This suggests that most students at this school may not be performing at grade level.
Parent tips
Ask the school what it’s doing to help students who are behind. Understand what on-track learning looks like, and explore higher-performing schools in your area to find the best opportunities for your child to succeed.
Worth a deeper look:
This school is about the same as the state average in key measures of college and career readiness, but depending on the state, average can mean only a minority of students are ready for college and career.
(Remember: high graduation rates don't mean much if students are graduating without the coursework and test scores they need to succeed.)
Parent tip
Ask the school what it’s doing to help all students succeed in advanced classes and prepare for college entrance tests.
Worth a deeper look:
Students at this school are making average academic progress given where they were last year, compared to similar students in the state.
Average student progress (also known as student growth) means different things. In some states, the average progress is so low, a majority of students are not ready for college and career. It also depends on the school's test scores.
Average progress with low test scores means... that students are starting at a low point but keeping up with their peers.
Average progress with high test scores means students have strong academic skills and students in this school are learning at the same rate as similar students in other schools.
Parent tip
Ask the school how it interprets this rating and how it might use this information to help students grow and reach their full potential.
