State Report: High School Ranks High in College Preparation

According to a state performance report released this week, Fort Lee High School outranks many of its peer schools in college preparation.

The state used new data in this year’s reports to chart college readiness in its annual, measuring participation and scores on the SAT and advanced placement (AP) tests. According to the report, Fort Lee ranks highly in SAT scores and AP participation among other schools with similar demographics.

The high school met statewide targets for most college and career readiness indicators, scoring in the 93rd percentile among peers for participation in the SAT, the 97th percentile for students taking at least one AP test.

 “The information in the performance reports is based on last year’s test scores,” Dr. Sharon Amato, the district’s acting superintendent, told Patch. “We presented the test data already, and we’ve been using that data to drive instruction.”

Amato cautioned that, as the report includes new data and formatting this year, the findings present potential problems for interpretation.

“It became somewhat controversial on the state level and particularly with school leaders because they felt perhaps some of the data might be misinterpreted,” Amato said.

For example, she says, some schools subsidize the test fee for the PSAT, pushing participation up. Fort Lee does not fund participation in the test, and that was one indicator of college readiness where the school fell short of state targets.

The school also failed to meet state targets for high AP testing scores, but Amato noted that the special programs at the high school, such as the International Baccalaureate certificate program, strengthen student applications in ways not measured by the test.

High school principal Priscilla Church echoed that sentiment: “We have a lot of extraordinary programs and many students get accepted to great schools coming out of them.”