by Jesse Serwer
The rankings, which are compiled by a team of researchers led by Washington Post education reporter Jay Matthews, are based on the percentage of students who take academically challenging advanced placement (AP) and international baccalaureate (IB) courses. More than 26,000 schools were ranked for the study, with the top 100 named in the magazine-s May 16 issue. South Side was 45th on the list. The top 1,000 are listed on MSNBC-s Web site.
Number 45 out of 26,000 not bad, said Rockville Centre Schools Superintendent Dr. William Johnson. Three Long Island schools, led by Jericho High, at No. 13, made the list.
While South Side was ranked 65th in Matthews- last study, in 2003, its ascension was hardly a surprise, said Principal Dr. Carol Burris. The philosophy of South Side High School and the Rockville Centre Board of Education is a very different philosophy than other schools that don-t encourage their students to take the most challenging courses they can possibly take, Burris said.
Next year, more than 80 percent of South Side students will take an IB course in the 11th grade, and 55 percent of its incoming juniors have declared themselves to be full IB diploma candidates. That-s largely the result, Burris said, of the pre-IB program given to all students in 10th-grade English and social studies.
I am delighted that Newsweek and Jay Matthews understand the value of allowing students to study college-level curriculum prior to high school graduation, Burris said. I already know from the many graduates who return to South Side that they are well prepared for both university studies and the world of work.
Comments about this story? JSerwer@lliherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
