[greenthumbs]

We are about to buy our first home (there'll be many questions for advice soon in the home section ). But one thing so many are suggesting is when looking at location, look at the local schools.

DS and any future siblings will be going to local gov schools - eventually - he's only 17mths.

I've been looking at the my school website, but what am I looking at? What does it all mean?

Can anyone advise where to go specifically to find out about your local schools, especially when you don't know anyone in the area with kids that go to the schools.

Thanks for any advice!

[**Mel**]

When you do trawl through the myschool site, I think one of the most important things to try and figure out is the progress of the cohort.

So, the school you are looking at will have some charts/graphs/data about how each year level (3, 5, 7, 9) went in their NAPLAN.

Every school analyses this data to then implement specific programs. The school I work at has some literacy issues in the younger years which have been addressed last year. We are eagerly looking forward to this year's NAPLAN (plus PATR and other indicators) to see how well we have done.

It is important to compare the Yr 3 data from 2 years ago with the Yr 5 data from this year, if you can.

If there has been a backslide, you must then question what is going on.

If there is little change, then you must question whether their programs are working well

If there is an increase, then the school is doing something right.

[bye]

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This post has been edited by bye: 29/03/2013, 02:40 PM

[howdo]

MySchool is good for nothing.

Go do a school tour.

[**Mel**]

Yep, fair enough, I agree with both of you

But, parents are using it. So, I think it is important they interrogate the data for more than just face value.

[howdo]

I tried interpreting it.

It was too hard. If a teacher with extra studies in research adn statistics struggles, then what hope do parents have?

Seriously it takes week of PD sessions at school to understand what my own school's data tells me. I wouldn't even try to interpret multiple school sets on MySchool.

[tibs]

I tried interpreting it.

It was too hard. If a teacher with extra studies in research adn statistics struggles, then what hope do parents have?

Seriously it takes week of PD sessions at school to understand what my own school's data tells me. I wouldn't even try to interpret multiple school sets on MySchool.

I use an excel spreadsheet to compare local schools

[**Mel**]

I use an excel spreadsheet to compare local schools

Sure, but what are you actually interpreting? What I am saying is that families need to look at more than the raw score. What Howdo is saying is that that is damned difficult!

[howdo]

What are you comparing?

Are you comparing cohorts or are you comparing year levels?

Are you factoring in SES percentages?

Are you accounting for student learning disabilities?

Can you account for learning difficulties - such as dyslexia which are not verifiable under the SN categories?

Are you factoring in the ESL population of the school?

Are you triangulating multiple sets of data or just looking at the NAPLAN?

[tibs]

Sure, but what are you actually interpreting? What I am saying is that families need to look at more than the raw score. What Howdo is saying is that that is damned difficult!

I don't think it is difficult for someone with tertiary qualifications and I think it is a little worrying that a teacher would find it difficult? I take the raw scores and do my own analysis of them. Although I think the raw scores can tell you something for example the raw scores across all categories for year 5 students at our zoned school are LOWER than the raw scores for year 3 students at the schools in the next suburb.