May 19, 2008
Bite Size News
--Have you heard the BPD is installing massive woofers to the front of patrol cars? You may hear and feel "The Rumbler" if you're pulled over. [Boston Globe]
--A Chicago meat company is recalling potentially E. coli contaminated beef products with tasty titles such as "Boneless Clods," "Flat Rounds," "Gooseneck Rounds" and "Knuckle."
Some was shipped to MA in industrial amounts, so carnivores only need to cross their fingers. [Chicagoist]
--The Big Dig tunnels have special ducts for cellphone service, but they're too narrow to be effective. Incompetence or corruption? We report, you decide. [Boston Globe]
--Congratulations to MATCH Charter in Boston for placing 25th on the Newsweek list of the nation's top high schools. [Newsweek via WBZ]
--A man who was dragged out of his hot tub and tasered by Brattlboro (VT) police officers has received $37,500 -- or less than a dollar per volt. The "Don't tase me, bro" guy made some money on ringtones... [The Boston Channel]
--The town of Ipswich, which supplies its own electricity, lost power from 7 a.m. to noon due to a non-clam-frying fire. [Boston Herald]
Image of plastic cow near the Aquarium by BGLewandowski from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.
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Congrats to MATCH, but all Newsweek measures is the percentage of students who took an AP or equivalent test. It could be easy for a school to "test to the list" so to speak, especially if the enrollment is small.
Also, "The Challenge Index is designed to honor schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take college level courses and tests."
And, "...schools had to have an average SAT score below 1300 on the reading and math sections, or an average ACT score below 29, to be included on the list."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/137415
i was always annoyed that my high school never made it very high on that newsweek list, even though we apparently had some of the highest average ACT scores in the state. part of the reason was that students were scared to take AP classes for fear of ruining their perfect GPAs. sigh.
Harmy,
it's true that schools can manipulate students for a better ranking. perhaps charter schools have an advantage, but those aren't bad indicators to claim success at a high school.
i went to a catholic high school that strongly encouraged taking ap classes, and about 90%+ of my class went on to college (i think the rate has been consistent). we may have never been on a list, but i felt like i had great teachers who treated us (for the most part) like smart young people.
~r