Tulsa School of Arts & Sciences, a charter school, tops state performance report
Tulsa School of Arts & Sciences, a charter school with just a few hundred students, outscored Booker T. Washington and Jenks high schools in the 2008 School Report Card issued by the Oklahoma Office of Accountability.
Based on 2007-2008 student performance on high school instruction tests, the tiny high school placed first in four out of seven testing areas.
TSAS was first in Algebra I, English 2, Biology 1 and Geometry. TSAS was second in U.S. History behind Jenks, fourth behind Jenks, Union and Bixby in Algebra 2 and fifth in English 3 (behind Jenks, Washington, Owasso and Broken Arrow).
Jenks managed a No. 1 ranking in U.S. History, English 3 and Algebra 2 with No. 2 rankings in Geometry and English 2. Washington was second in Algebra 1, English 3 and Biology 1; third in English 2 and U.S. History; fifth in Algebra 2; and sixth in Algebra 2 and Geometry.
On the low end, Union High School in Tulsa ranked at the bottom of 25 area schools tested in Algebra 1.
Central, McLain and Webster high schools, part of Tulsa Public Schools, ranked last in two categories each. Central was 25th in U.S. History and Biology 1. Webster had the lowest scores in Geometry and English 2. McLain was last in Algebra 2 and English 3.
In the report, the Education Oversight Board saw an increasing number of state schools hit their new 25 percent “advanced performance benchmark.”
“The new benchmark that we established last year was a rigorous one that identifies the top schools across the state,” said Susan Field, chairman of the EOB. “The new benchmark identifies schools where 70 percent of the students score satisfactory or above and where 25 percent of the students score advanced on every subject tested at a given grade level.”
Ninety-six schools in Oklahoma drew praise for hitting the benchmark on the EOB school report card (based on academic testing for regular students in grades third through eighth.
Tulsa area schools that reached that benchmark include Carnegie Elementary, Chouteau Elementary, Greeley Elementary, Eisenhower Elementary, Lee Elementary, Grissom Elementary, Country Lane (Broken Arrow) Elementary, Darnaby Elementary (Union) and Jenks Middle School.
School principals are supposed to give copies of the report to students. The Office of Accountability has logged over two million web-based downloads and averages 165,000 downloads a month.
That website is www.schoolreportcard.org. Copies of the 2008 report are in public libraries.
“People are interested in the performance of their public schools and our website is a one-stop shop for their data needs,” said Robert Buswell, executive director of the Office of Accountability.
According to the report, Oklahoma schools got $5,275,626,999 in funding for the 2007-2008 school year. State taxes provided 53.3 percent or $3,809,729,984. Local and county taxes provided 34.9 percent ($1,843,523,908) and the federal government added $622,373,084.
The report shows that only four counties in Oklahoma - Noble, Grant, Woods and Kingfisher - get a smaller percent of state funding for schools than Tulsa County (45.3 percent comes from the state). Oklahoma County is close behind with 46.1 percent of it funding coming from the state.
There is a state aid formula whose stated purpose is to distribute state money equitably even though it is collected at uneven levels. The formula penalizes counties like Tulsa because it has “a greater ability to raise money through local/county revenues.”
According to Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel, Tulsa has the highest property taxes in Oklahoma.
TOP 25 HIGH SCHOOL TEST RANKINGS
Algebra 1
88 T. School of Arts/Sciences
86 BTW High School
84 Berryhill High School
80 Sperry High School
79 State Average
78 Bixby High School
73 Glenpool High School
73 Collinsville HS
66 Edison High School
66 Skiatook High School
64 McLain High School
65 Liberty High School
60 Webster High School
57 Hale High School
56 Owasso High School
50 Jenks High School
48 Chas. Page HS
48 BA High School
43 Central High School
40 Memorial High School
38 East Central HS
35 Rogers High School
25 Union High School
English 2
95 T. School of Arts/Sciences
95 Jenks High School
92 BTW High School
90 Berryhill High School
86 Sperry High School
83 Glenpool High School
82 Union High School
79 Edison High School
79 State Average
76 Collinsville HS
74 Chas. Page HS
74 Skiatook High School
74 Bixby High School
72 Liberty High School
64 Owasso High School
62 Memorial High School
57 Hale High School
54 East Central HS
53 McLain High School
49 Central High School
49 Rogers High School
45 BA High School
45 Webster High School
U.S. History
91 Jenks High School
82 T. School of Arts/Sciences
82 BTW High School
79 Berryhill High School
77 Glenpool High School
75 Edison High School
72 Collinsville HS
70 State Average
68 Memorial High School
67 Chas. Page HS
65 Bixby High School
57 Union High School
56 Liberty High School
66 Sperry High School
63 Owasso High School
53 BA High School
49 Skiatook High School
46 East Central HS
45 Webster High School
44 Hale High School
38 Rogers High School
36 McLain High School
34 Central High School
Biology 1
83 T. School of Arts/Sciences
77 BTW High School
72 Collinsville HS
63 Berryhill High School
62 Edison High School
60 Glenpool High School
58 State Average
57 Bixby High School
55 Skiatook High School
51 Sperry High School
51 Chas. Page HS
43 Liberty High School
36 Memorial High School
36 Jenks High School
33 Owasso High School
32 BA High School
32 Hale High School
26 Webster High School
22 E. Central High School
20 Rogers High School
18 McLain High School
18 Central High School
Algebra 2
91 Jenks High School
68 Union High School
64 Bixby High School
61 T. School of Arts/Sciences
60 Owasso High School
58 BTW High School
56 Glenpool High School
55 State Average
51 Skiatook High School
50 BA High School
45 Berryhill High School
42 Edison High School
41 Chas. Page HS
35 Collinsville HS
28 East Central HS
27 Memorial High School
25 Sperry High School
22 Hale High School
22 Rogers High School
19 Liberty High School
17 Central High School
16 Webster High School
5 McLain High School
Geometry
94 T. School of Arts/Sciences
89 Jenks High School
88 Sperry High School
83 Glenpool High School
78 BTW High School
76 Edison High School
74 Collinsville HS
73 Berryhill High School
72 State Average
65 Skiatook High School
65 Bixby High School
56 Memorial High School
55 Liberty High School
55 Chas. Page HS
47 East Central HS
44 Owasso High School
41 BA High School
40 Hale High School
31 Union High School
27 McLain High School
23 Central High School
22 Rogers High School
21 Webster High School
English 3
95 Jenks High School
94 BTW High School
91 Owasso High School
90 BA High School
87 T. School of Arts/Sciences
86 Berryhill High School
85 Sperry High School
83 Bixby High School
83 Union High School
81 State Average
81 Collinsville HS
80 Glenpool High School
77 Webster High School
75 Skiatook High School
73 Hale High School
72 Chas. Page HS
72 Memorial High School
70 Edison High School
69 Liberty High School
57 East Central HS
55 Rogers High School
47 Central High School
38 McLain High School