樱桃视频

樱桃视频 Ratings Methodology Report

What the 樱桃视频 Rating measures

The 樱桃视频 Rating is a 1鈥�10 score that helps parents and communities understand how well a school supports student success compared to other schools in the same state. Ratings at the lower end of the scale (1鈥�4) signal below-average performance, 5鈥�6 indicate average performance, and 7鈥�10 demonstrate above-average performance.

The 樱桃视频 Rating is based on up to three themed ratings, which are designed to capture different aspects of school quality:

1. Student Progress Rating: Calculated using state-reported student growth data. If unavailable, it is replaced with the Academic Progress Rating, a proxy growth measure we create when sufficient state-produced student growth data is not available.
2. College Readiness Rating: A multi-measure rating based on college entrance exams (SAT and ACT), high school graduation rates, and advanced coursework participation (Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment).
3. Test Score Rating: Based on state-standardized test performance.

We calculate the 樱桃视频 Rating using a two-step weighted average approach. First, we assign base weights to each themed rating based on the strength of research linking that data to long-term student outcomes and our mission to highlight schools that support academic growth for all students. Second, we apply information weights that reflect the quantity and variability of data available for each themed rating. To maintain balance, these weights are capped so that no themed rating can outweigh the Student Progress Rating (or the Academic Progress Rating if growth data is not available). If any themed ratings are missing, the remaining weights are rebalanced to sum to one.

Read on for a detailed explanation of this process.

How we calculate the 樱桃视频 Rating

The 樱桃视频 Rating is a weighted average of a school鈥檚 themed ratings. We combine the available scores in a way that reflects both what research shows matters most for student success and the amount of data available for each school.
This process includes three main steps:

Step 1: Establish base weights

We begin by determining how much weight each themed rating should carry in the 樱桃视频 Rating. This is based on:

• The strength of research linking that type of data to long-term outcomes, like college enrollment, degree completion, and employment
• Our mission to identify schools that help all students make meaningful academic progress

Each themed rating is assigned a “strength score” on a 1鈥�5 scale. The scale is cardinal (not ranked), meaning more than one measure can receive the maximum score (5) if supported by substantial evidence linking the indicators to long-term student outcomes.

Using this approach:

• Student Progress receives the highest strength score of 5. Research shows that growth is one of the most reliable indicators of school impact because it measures learning over time, regardless of a student鈥檚 starting point.
• College Readiness and Test Scores both receive a strength score of 3. While important, these are more influenced by external factors, such as family income, and may reflect a student鈥檚 background more than the impact of the school.

We convert these scores into base weights by dividing each of them by the sum of all strength scores. This ensures the final weights reflect both research value and proportional influence. For example, if Student Progress has a strength score of 5 and both College Readiness and Test Scores have scores of 3, their base weights would be 5/11, 3/11, and 3/11, respectively. If there are just two available ratings — such as Student Progress (strength score: 5) and Test Scores (strength score: 3) — the denominator would be 8.

*Note: In states without student-level growth data, we use the Academic Progress Rating as a substitute for Student Progress and apply the same weighting principles.

Step 2: Adjust for information value

Because the quantity and type of data reported by state education agencies vary widely — from the types of assessments used to the grade levels tested — it’s important to consider both the amount and the quality of data available for each school.

To ensure schools are fairly compared, we calculate an “information weight” for each themed rating based on:

• Data quantity: Number of data inputs (e.g., grade/subject combinations, student groups, college readiness metrics)
• Data variability: How much the available data distinguishes between schools (i.e., its ability to differentiate performance)

We examine the amount of data a school has compared to other schools in the same state and calculate its percentile ranking. We then assess how much that data helps distinguish the school’s performance from others. By multiplying these two factors, we get the school’s information weight.

To keep ratings balanced, we cap each themed rating鈥檚 contribution to the overall 樱桃视频 Rating so that it never exceeds the weight of the Student Progress Rating (or Academic Progress Rating, if applicable). This ensures that a themed rating with more data doesn’t overshadow our emphasis on student growth.

Step 3: Combine weights and create the 樱桃视频 Rating

We then add the base weight and the information weight to create a combined weight for each themed rating that encompasses both the amount and quality of the data, as determined by researchers. For each school, we rebalance the weights by dividing them by the total sum of all combined weights to account for the fact that not every school has ratings for every theme. Once the weights are finalized, we multiply each themed rating by its respective final weight. The weighted scores are then added to create a composite score, which we round to the nearest whole number on a 1鈥�10 scale to produce the 樱桃视频 Rating.

For example, let鈥檚 say a school has the following themed ratings:

• Student Progress = 3, with a final weight of 0.43 (0.45 base weight + 0.25 information weight rebalanced)
• Test Scores = 3, with a final weight of 0.32 (0.27 base weight + 0.25 information weight rebalanced)
• College Readiness = 6, with a final weight of 0.26 (0.27 base weight + 0.15 information weight rebalanced)

To calculate the overall score, we multiply each rating by its weight:

• (3 脳 0.43) + (3 脳 0.32) + (6 脳 0.26) = 1.29 + 0.96 + 1.56 = 3.81

This score is then rounded to the nearest whole number, producing a 樱桃视频 Rating of 4.

Note: A school must have at least one themed rating in order to receive an overall 樱桃视频 Rating.

About 樱桃视频鈥� themed ratings

Student Progress Rating

The Student Progress Rating measures year-over-year academic growth, comparing a school鈥檚 students to academically similar students statewide. It uses student growth data from state education agencies, which rely on official state growth models.¹

While the growth model methods vary by state, they all aim to isolate a school鈥檚 contribution to student learning by comparing each student鈥檚 progress to that of similar learners across the state. These models attempt to control for external factors like students鈥� starting test scores, and sometimes their demographics, so the results better reflect the value the school itself is adding. 樱桃视频 uses these growth scores to evaluate how much progress students are making at a school relative to what鈥檚 typical for similar students statewide.

How we calculate the Student Progress Rating:

• Convert each grade/subject growth score into a percentile relative to statewide schools (e.g., a score in the 70th percentile means the school performed better than 70% of schools on that measure)
• Average the percentiles across all grade/subject combinations
• Convert the average percentile into a 1鈥�10 score using decile bands (top 10% = 10, next 10% = 9, etc.)

¹ For more information about your state鈥檚 specific student growth model, visit your state department of education website.

Academic Progress Rating

In states without usable student growth data, we estimate each school鈥檚 expected proficiency rates by analyzing how similar schools typically perform. We consider factors such as prior-year proficiency rates, the percentage of students from low-income families, and racial/ethnic breakdown. This allows us to generate an “expected” score for each grade and subject. We then compare the school’s actual performance to these expectations to determine whether students achieved more or less than predicted, helping us isolate the school鈥檚 impact on academic progress.

How we calculate the Academic Progress Rating:

• Compare actual vs. expected scores by grade and subject
• Convert the differences into percentiles
• Average the percentiles across grades and subjects, based on the number of students who took each test
• Convert the average percentile into a 1鈥�10 score using decile bands

College Readiness Rating

Applicable only to high schools, this rating measures how well schools prepare students for postsecondary success based on:

• College entrance exams: This includes the average student scores on the SAT or ACT. If a school reports both SAT and ACT scores, we use the test with higher student participation. If participation is equal, we choose the test that is more common statewide. In states where one test is mandated, we use that test regardless of participation.
• Graduation rate: This includes the percentage of students who graduate within four years of starting high school. Where available, we also incorporate state-specific indicators, such as the percentage of graduates who meet eligibility requirements for state university systems (e.g., University of California and California State University eligibility in California).
• Advanced courses: This includes the percentage of students who enroll in at least one advanced course, such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual enrollment. If a school does not offer advanced coursework or data is unavailable, the participation rate is counted as zero.

How we calculate the College Readiness Rating:

• Convert each readiness metric to a ranked percentile (e.g., SAT score percentile within state)
• Group into three component categories and average the percentiles within each group
• Average the component scores to produce a single readiness score (minimum two components required)
• Convert the percentile score to a 1鈥�10 rating using decile bands

See Appendix for a visual depiction of this calculation.

Test Score Rating

This rating reflects student proficiency on state assessments relative to other schools in the same state. We begin with the percentage of students performing at the 鈥減roficient and above鈥� level, grouped by subject, grade, and school, on the state鈥檚 standardized exams.

How we calculate the Test Score Rating:

• Convert each subject/grade proficiency rate into a ranked percentile
• Weight each percentile by the number of students tested
• Average the weighted percentiles across subjects (or use equal weighting if test counts are missing)
• Convert the average percentile into a 1鈥�10 score using decile bands

Student group ratings (College Readiness and Test Scores)

In addition to school-wide ratings, we also calculate College Readiness and Test Score Ratings for student groups by income level and race/ethnicity. These appear in the “Academics: Race/Ethnicity” section of school profiles and are intended to provide insight into how different groups of students are performing. While these student group ratings do not factor into the overall 樱桃视频 Rating, they do offer a more detailed view of how schools serve different student populations.

Test Score

To calculate a Test Score Rating for student groups, we compare each group鈥檚 performance in each grade and subject to the performance of all students statewide in that same grade and subject. Each result is converted into a percentile based on its position in the state distribution. We then average the percentiles across all tested grades and subjects for each group. If the group has at least one English and one Math test represented, we convert the average percentile into a 1鈥�10 score using the same decile-based method as the school-level Test Score Rating.

College Readiness

The College Readiness Ratings for student groups follow a similar approach. For each metric — graduation rate, college entrance exam scores, and participation in advanced coursework 鈥� we compare a group鈥檚 score at the school to the statewide performance of all students, not just students in the same demographic group. Each result is converted into a percentile, averaged within each component, and then averaged across the components. We map average percentiles directly to a 1鈥�10 scale: percentiles between 0.00 and 0.09 receive a 1, 0.10 and 0.19 receive a 2, and so on up to 10. Because the comparison is to all students, rather than within-group norms, the distribution of scores is not uniform.

Data limitations and exemptions

The following limitations affect which schools and student groups can receive 樱桃视频 Ratings and how those ratings are calculated:

• Only public schools receive 樱桃视频 ratings because we rely on publicly available state education data, which is not consistently available for private or charter schools across states.
• A school must have at least one themed rating to receive an overall 樱桃视频 Rating.

High schools must have data for at least two college readiness components to receive a College Readiness Rating.

• Alternative schools (as defined by the Civil Rights Data Collection) do not receive ratings.
• For student group ratings, if some components are missing, we recalculate benchmarks using only the available components to ensure fair comparison.

Contact

If you have additional questions about how we calculate 樱桃视频 ratings and/or the principles behind our methodology, please contact us.

Appendix

Figure 1: 樱桃视频 College Readiness Rating Process

² 鈥淧ercent of Students Who Meet UC/CSU Entrance Requirements鈥� is a metric unique to California. Similar high school graduation-related metrics, where available, will be included here for other states.