Schools

Dolan: Class Size Calculation Contributed to WHS Ranking Drop

Schools superintendent says ranking shows high school does well in academic performance.

Class size formulas developed by state officials contributed to Westfield High School's drop on a statewide ranking list according to school officials.

Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan explained to the Board of Education Tuesday evening that the way state education officials had local districts calculate class size impacted the high school's final score on the New Jersey Monthly list. The magazine's rating for WHS dropped from 27 in 2008 to 41 in the list that was revealed earlier this month.

New Jersey Monthly's numbers – which were based on numbers filed with state education officials – showed the high school's average class size rising from 19 in 2008 to 26.4 in 2010. Dolan said the district's interpretation of state guidelines for calculating average class size led to the large rise.

"We read the directions literally in this district," she said. "If you read it literally you included all of your students. But if you read it literally you did not use all of your teachers."

Dolan said the calculations done by BOE officials included all classes and students in the high school, including special education classes. But following the directions not all teachers were used, causing the dramatic rise in average class size. She said after the numbers were calculated she talked to superintendents in other districts who had used other calculations and state education officials assured her that another calculation method – bringing the number closer to the 19 – would be used in their office.

The average class size was a key factor in the school environment category used by the magazine to determine the rankings. Student environment included such aspects as class size, student/faculty ratio, student/computer ratio, the number of AP classes offered and the number of AP tests offered.

"That weighed against us," Dolan said of the class size calculation.

Dolan spent much of her speech emphasizing the areas in which WHS placed well in the NJ Monthly ranking. She said that the percent of students scoring in the advanced proficiency range in math places WHS eighth in state, while the percent of students scoring in the advanced proficiency range in language arts places WHS 21st in the state. Dolan said the average combined SAT scores give WHS a ranking of 16th of the state and AP test scores of three of higher give WHS as ninth place in the state.

"In the areas of student performance we do quite well," she said.

Dolan said that while there are several debates in rankings regarding the number of AP classes offered, she would not use the ranking calculations to decide whether or not to add more AP classes, noting that NJ Monthly could change their ranking system in 2012.

"That's a silly race to win," Dolan said of trying to plan academics around the ranking.

Several BOE members thanked Dolan for her explanation saying it allowed for a clarification of the drop in the WHS ranking. BOE member Gary McCready said he would prefer WHS compared against similarly sized high schools rather than high schools in similar demographic areas. He said this would show the high school ranking higher and would be a fair comparison since larger schools have more diverse populations.

BOE member Mitch Slater proposed that Dolan recruit a group of superintendents and try to meet with the magazine's editors prior to the 2012 high school rankings being determined to discuss methodology and plan ahead in how the ratings are put together.

Dolan endorsed Slater's proposal and said she would reach out to New Jersey Monthly to discuss the ranking system.

Dolan said the report shows where Westfield continues to succeed.

"You have to determine what is important and in the areas that are important we did very well," she said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here