July 28, 2014, Oakland, CA — GreatSchools.org has added significant new data about student progress and success to help parents in New Jersey find higher-performing K-12 schools that are a great fit for their children. In addition to results from state standardized tests, GreatSchools Ratings for schools in New Jersey now include measurements of:
• whether or not students are making academic progress over time,
• high school graduation rates, and
• college readiness, including SAT performance and participation.
“Test scores are valuable, but they’re only the beginning for parents who are looking at schools,” says GreatSchools Founder and CEO Bill Jackson. “Parents want more detailed school information, and the new data included in the GreatSchools Rating makes it a more balanced scorecard. More information will help parents find a great school that is a great fit for their families.”
Last year, GreatSchools reached more than 52 million unique visitors, including more than half of U.S. families with school-aged children. The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare the academic performance of all public and public charter schools (and private schools where data is available). GreatSchools also provides qualitative insights from people who know a school best – through community reviews by parents, teachers, and students, and official school profiles from principals.
New Jersey is the latest state where the new data are included in the GreatSchools Ratings. In recent months, GreatSchools has added the new data for schools in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio, as well as Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee. The enhanced GreatSchools Rating now covers more than 16% of public and public charter schools nationwide. In other states, the GreatSchools Rating continues to be based on results from standardized tests, and new school data will be added as more states make the information available.
Incorporating new data is one of several ways GreatSchools is working to bring rich school information and insights to parents. GreatSchools Local, for example, builds partnerships with city and state organizations to provide the most relevant and current local school information. GreatSchools also works with school leaders to highlight important aspects of a school, such as school climate and special programs.
Founded in 1998, GreatSchools is a national nonprofit that helps millions of parents find great schools, support great learning, and guide their kids to great futures. Our Webby award-winning website, GreatSchools.org, is the nation’s leading guide to preK-12 schools, with profiles of 200,000 public, public charter and private schools and more than one million ratings and reviews by parents, teachers, and students. In addition, GreatSchools offers thousands of articles, videos, and worksheets to help parents support their children’s learning. Headquartered in Oakland, California, GreatSchools has local offices and programs in Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee.
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