September 03, 2003
A list of the nation's "top high schools" as measured by the number of Advanced Placement tests given included the following local area high schools: Baldwinsville, Cazenovia, Fayetteville-Manlius, Skaneateles and West Genesee. According to the Challenge Index designed by Washington Post reporter Jay Matthews, these five high schools rank in the top 4 percent of public high schools in the nation.
The Challenge Index measures the number of Advanced Placement test given by the public high schools. There has been discussion about his choice of Advanced Placement tests as a measure to compare high schools. Many administrators nationwide oppose his choice of measurement, suggesting that Advanced Placement test are just one part of the curriculum and there are several other standards that should be taken into account in the comparison.
Reporter Jay Matthews defends his rating system believing that Advanced Placement tests challenge the average student. He also cited a 1999 study for the U.S. Education Department which concluded that average students who had taken an advanced course in high school were more likely to graduate from college and the average student's succes in the advanced course was more important than economic status, grade-point average or SAT scores.
Matthews list of the best high schools in the nation can be found in the June issue of Newsweek titled "The Best 100 High Schools in America," and on the MSNBC website titled "The Top High Schools."
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