As a high school student, I was socially awkward and didn’t develop my personal and social skills until well after I graduated Dublin Scioto. I didn’t really like the school environment and just remember being bored and not motivated. I remember going through the motions, completing homework, listening to lectures and studying for tests. I left with a lot of book knowledge and facts memorized but gained little in terms of real life and personal development skills.

From this experience, I knew I wanted something different for my daughter. I’ve talked about, in previous posts, the research I did to understand the many models of education that exist. From this, I fell in love with the personalized learning, real life project approach that Acton Academy advocates. It’s why I decided to open up our own Acton Academy here in Columbus.

Before I got there, though, I also did a lot of research on public schools around Columbus. I was specifically interested in what makes a great public school and why the rankings always have Dublin, Olentangy, Bexley, and Upper Arlington schools rated so high.

According to US News, the top high schools in Ohio, filtered for Central Ohio:

• #4 - Bexley HS (Bexley)

• #10 - Olentangy Liberty HS (Powell)

• #13 - Dublin Jerome HS (Dublin)

• #14 - Upper Arlington HS (Upper Arlington)

• #16 - Orange HS (Lewis Center)

• #18 - Grandview Heights HS (Columbus)

• #21 - Olentangy HS (Lewis Center)

• #25 - Columbus Alternative HS (Columbus)

• #27 - New Albany HS (New Albany)

• #33 - Dublin Coffman HS (Dublin)

So, let’s look at how schools are rated, according to the US News methodology.

1. College readiness (30%): The proportions of 12th graders who took and passed at least one AP or IB exam. Passing is worth three times more than just taking.

2. Math and Reading Proficiency (20%): Aggregated scores on state assessments that students may be required to pass for graduation.

3. Math and Reading Performance (20%): How aggregated scores on state assessments compare to U.S. News's expectations given the proportions of students who are black, Hispanic and from low-income households.

4. Underserved Student Performance (10%): Scores on state assessments aggregated just among students who are black, Hispanic and from low-income households. These scores are compared to what is typical in the state for non-undeserved students, with parity or higher being the goal.

5. College Curriculum Breadth (10%): The proportions of 12th graders who took and passed AP and IB exams in multiple areas. More exams are valued more than fewer exams up to a maximum of four. Passing an exam is worth three times more than taking.

6. Graduation Rate (10%): The proportion of entering 9th graders who graduated four academic years later.

As you can see, #1 - #5 (90% of total ranking) are completely based on exam scores. Graduation rate, which represents 10% of the total assessment, is the only part not based on an exam score.

Keep in mind, test scores are really important for a school district. They have direct impact on how much money a school district gets.

Have you heard the saying, “Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome.” This is completely relevant here. School districts have all the reason to teach to the test. After all, 90% of the ranking system is based on that.

Do tests really reflect how well a student is prepared for the real world? Take a look at a possible AP History exam question and decide for yourself if it’s important for our children to memorize the below.

The "First Great Awakening" can be seen as a direct response to which of the following?

A. Puritanism

B. The Enlightenment

C. Transcendentalism

D. Existentialism

What’s missing that many parents would consider important?

• Curriculum: Does the school offer relevant STEAM courses? What Foreign Languages?

• Structure of classes: Are classes lecture based or project based?

• 4 C’s preparation: How well does the school prepare students for the 4 Cs of education (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Communication)?

• After school activities: What after school / extracurricular activities are offered?

• Real world preparation: Are students ready to go out in the real world and get jobs? Do they know how to communicate with businesses, apply for jobs, write resumes and cover letters?

These are just some of the items that may be important to consider. Instead, rankings are based almost completely on exam scores which don’t prepare our children for the 21st century innovation age.

As a parent, I found the ranking based on exam scores to not reflect my views on the skills I want my daughter to have when she completes her K-12 education. It’s the reason I set out to build 360 Academy. I want our children to develop skills that will prepare them for the 21st century - and not simply complete exams that help our local schools some additional money.