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(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring the high school's top public high schools in the U.S. ranking, appeared in Bexley News on June 4, 2008) 6/16/08 Bexley surges upward in ranking of nation's top schools
* Newsweek magazine's ratio system lists Bexley as number
410 among the top 1,300 schools in the country. Bexley High School moved from 706 to 410 in a ranking system based on a ratio devised by journalist Jay Mathews. The ratio adds the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and-or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school and divides that by the number of graduating seniors. The ratio determines the top 1,300 schools that make the list. Bexley has spent four years on the list since 2005, when it made the list for the first time. Although six other Central Ohio schools were ranked in the top 1,300, only Olentangy Liberty and Dublin Jerome high schools managed a ranking higher than Bexley. Bexley Principal John Kellogg said the steep rise of its index measurement was not only the result of adding another AP course but bringing an additional 40 students into the courses it offers. Bexley's number of students participating in AP increased while the total number graduating remained close to the same as in 2007. Bexley offers 19 AP courses in its curriculum. The strategic priorities portion of the district's vision statement has set curriculum as the No. 1 priority. Kellogg said by offering so many courses, the school can tap into specific student interests. "With 19 courses in a small school, with the courses reflecting such diverse interests, we can capture interest from about every student," Kellogg said. "Maybe the student isn't up to AP calculus but thinks that AP art or music would be more fitting -- they have that choice." Kellogg and his staff have set aside AP expansion as one of their goals. More than 90 percent of Bexley students go on to college after graduation and teachers are committed to preparing them for that experience, officials said. Since 2004, Bexley High School has required students enrolled in an AP course to take the related AP exam. Kellogg said the school's index number should go up in the next couple of years according to projection information he has obtained. The current index, 2.191, is based on last year's statistics. Kellogg said this year, about 444 tests were given and divided by a graduating class of 191. That brings the index to about 2.3. He said he's projecting 500 tests to be given next year with a graduating class of 170. Even though the class sizes are decreasing, more tests are being given and more classes offered. By monitoring these numbers, Kellogg said he can determine what parts of curriculum need his attention. "The nice thing is this (AP) has taken off on its own so I don't have to focus on it as much anymore," Kellogg said. "It's running on its own energy." He also said that even though Bexley is in the 400s in the Newsweek ranking, claims can be made that they're sitting with some of the best schools in the country. "These stats are misleading if comparing schools in the 400s to say 500s or 300s," Kellogg said. "The difference between 100 schools is usually a very small difference (in index number). "We're keeping pace with top schools in the country." |
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