13 responses to “High ranking for high schools”

1. Steve Kassel

   December 2, 2015

   Gunn also has the lowest rated football team in all of CCS…regardless of size.

2. Mom

   December 5, 2015

   Do we think this is really current or is it more of coasting out reputations? Not just BHS but all of them? And what about Mills at number 83?

3. HMB

   December 5, 2015

   Paly and Gunn have experienced a number of suicides in recent years. There’s a really toxic culture in Palo Alto.

4. BHSMom

   December 6, 2015

   Niche is a bogus ranking as it uses algorithms to pull information off the web and then constructs rankings.
   They are able to sell ads on their sites as people flock to the polls. Easy money and no real data.
   Here is an example
   Best Towns to Raise a Family in California
   #9 South San Francisco
   Crime and Safety Grade- B-
   Education Grade A
   Housing Grade B+
   Burlingame does not even make the list for raising families.
   I guess we come in after Chico, #28
   The Newsweek Best High School in America requires schools to submit data… which BHS did not do and was left off.
   Do we need more discussion on the Niche ranking system?

5. BadData

   December 8, 2015

   Bad Data-
   Niche is driven by a flawed model… so why are we holding it up as excellence.
   Do we all get a Blue Ribbon?
   “User formulated responses and statistics are then weighted along with information “obtained from the U.S. Department of Education” to establish a school’s rank (Official Niche Website).
   Niche’s Limitations
   On the surface, Niche appears to offer accurate school rankings evenly balanced between hard facts and student experience. However, closer inspection brings the ranking system’s credibility into question.
   The main issue lies in the site’s dependency on student responses in surveys and polls to formulate their statistics. Often, there are only 8-10 responses for any poll or survey question, forcing the site to amass statistics and averages from a minuscule demographic that doesn’t necessarily represent a majority of the school. As a result, the site is prone to create undeveloped school rankings.”
   http://www.nais.org/Independent-Ideas/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=369

6. Bruce Dickinson

   December 8, 2015

   Folks, looks like Panther Boy has metamorphosized (or changed for the educationally challenged) into Data Boy, yet one only has to employ 3rd grade google searches to validate the data. First of all, it appears that Gunn is top of this site in question as well as numerous other sites. This immediately led me to have Julie (my secretary) to do a 5 minute search though the CA Department of education stats, and guess what? On the most OBJECTIVE measure, namely test scores and graduation rate, all the area schools are pretty closely ranked, with Burlingame ranking higher in objective measures.
   Burlingame: ELA Proficiency (85%), Math (63%), Grad Rate (94%), CSU/UC Eligibility (63%)
   San Mateo: 70%, 48%, 95%, 62%
   Aragon 85%, 61%, 99%, 57%
   Mills 85%, 72%, 96%, 60%
   Do the same searches for Palo Alto, Mountain View, etc and the rank order looks similar to Niche. Bottom line is with all this Principal Di nonsense, Burlingame is still considered the area’s top school.
   Looks like this spring chicken can still use good ol’ common sense (not taught in class) along with Julie’s googling and typing skills! Data speaks more loudly than words, my friends!

7. BadData

   December 9, 2015

   Bruce,
   Be careful of how you sell used cars, you are not buying it for what is on the outside. Its the engine that matters.
   Do you think people really want proficiency?
   You are committing one of the acts that is keeping Burlingame High School from resolving its problems, you refuse to acknowledge the problem.
   Do you even know the data you posted?
   Why did you chose proficiency when you could have chosen advanced. Do Burlingame parents want their children to just be proficient?
   CSU/UC Eligibility (63%) Being eligible does not mean admitted.
   If we used your interpretations of school data and applied it elsewhere, the 49ers will be in the Superbowl at Levi Stadium as the numbers indicate they should be a proficient team. (Is the problem Tomsula, York, or Kaepernick ?).
   Your arguments make Burlingame sound like Lake Wobegon.
   Many folks in Burlingame won’t buy what is being sold. (or have buyers remorse after the purchase)
   Tell your secretary Julie to get of the computer and head over to the campus to “kick the tires” and see what she thinks. Talk to the people.. do the numbers match school?
   The pubic was pleased with a former superintendent of the district until they learned on this site that the district was $85 million in the hole. They changed their minds once they saw the big picture.
   Look at the forest Bruce, not just the trees.
   Common sense would tell you that if something doesn’t smell right… there is probably something rotting.

8. Bruce Dickinson

   December 9, 2015

   Panther-boy, listen. First you question rankings because of subjective scores and now you question objective scores. So far, I only hear an echo chamber with one opinion, which is smaller than the small sample size of Niche or Greatschool subjective scores and any objective score.
   Bruce Dickinson sees no one on this site corroborating your subjective opinion, nor sees any data dissenting your subjective opinion. If you have some objective criteria or even multiple opinions on this site, then I’m all ears. So far, I only hear crickets chirping.
   You won’t learn this at BHS, but in life, you gotta be able to make persuasive arguments and have the facts to back it up. Otherwise they just get ignored, which pretty much describes the very-near-future status of your posts.
   Enough of Bruce Dickinson’s, Julie’s and the BV readers’ time has been wasted! The only tires that will be kicked are those of my multiple Ferraris!!!

9. BadData

   December 10, 2015

   Bruce,
   You said it yourself about when Millie Vanilli was making hit music until someone figured out what they were actually making.
   How many people on the BV still have children at BHS? Back in the day, there would be many voices on the BV talking about issues at BHS. As I said before, the SM Grand Jury was reading the BV everyday to get the goods on the crooked Superintendent and his $85 million shortfall. They didn’t need anyone to spoon feed them the facts, they could fill in the blanks on their own.
   Maybe you’ve got one too many Ferraris. There is a whole lot of lip synching going on at BHS and the dam is about to break.
   Persuasive arguments are for courtrooms.
   I’m not giving away the good stuff, there is far too much “I told you so coming.”
   Every person who was on the committee to hire Di Yim has left the school. Every single one.
   You are welcome to ignore the posts, that is the beauty of the BV. If you don’t like it, just pass on by. The BV readers time is never wasted, this is their guilty pleasure.

10. BadData

    December 13, 2015

    Bruce,
    In the spirit of Holiday Cheer I will give you the facts.
    BHS lost BOTH its Varsity Boys Soccer Coach and Varsity Girls Basketball Coach in two days last week. Both teams are in season.
    25% of BHS students are truant. Principal. Yim’s response… she does not have one except for more punishment.
    Below are the National Merit Scholars.
    Do you see BHS? No? There are none.
    First time in memory that BHS does NOT have a finalist.
    20 SMUHSD Seniors National Merit Semifinalists
    ARAGON: Travis J.Bonbright, Eric Chen, Russell W Cheng, Horace He, Virginia Hsiao, Jeffrey T. Kishiyama, Carolyn J. Ku, Janet M. Liu, Alton Y. Olson, Huayu L. Ouyang, Joshua M. Pollock, Shiyi Shen and Tong Wang
    HILLSDALE: Michelle A. Karpishin and Victor Lee
    SAN MATEO: Geoffrey Ding, Laurel T. Schuster and Eric J. Wang
    MILLS: Hannah C. Pang and Jimin Park
    (Really-Even Hillsdale has TWO and BHS has nothing!) There is a Burlingame resident in the mix, but the student won’t attend BHS.
    The environment at BHS is anti-student, anti-tradition, and anti-Burlingame. You really can’t leas a school if you hate the people. Its a great show put on for Rotary, but she really does despise you all.
    Your tax dollars at work.

11. Mom

    December 13, 2015

    Ouch. Wait. Actually double ouch. When does Greg Land join the board and start to ask the hard questions?

12. BadData

    December 14, 2015

    It has been reported that Principal Yim requested a transfer to a position at the SMUHSD District Office last summer. She was rejected.
    They don’t want her downtown either.

13. Beenhereforever

    December 28, 2015

    And why would you think Greg Land will aske hard questions? He was on the board in the Burlingame Elementary district and looks what goes on there. Incompetence from the top down to each school and BIS is the worst. He let all that go on, so why will he ask any questions on SMUHSD board? And he previously served with Marc Friedman, who has also done nothing!