Schools or districts are considered "similar" if their data regarding a selected criterion falls in the same range. You may select more than one criterion for defining "similar." Ranges for each criterion are provided below:

Note that all data used in defining 'similar' are the most current data available. Schools or districts serving similar or more disadvantaged populations with similar or fewer resources are included in the lists of higher performing schools or districts in order to provide more sources of ideas for improvement.

• No single test can tell us whether students have learned everything that is important for students to learn. Only performances on the statewide tests are used in sorting schools and districts on the Similar Schools/Similar Districts pages.

• Sorting of schools or districts is based on results for "All enrolled FAY" in the school or district. Using percentages based on "All enrolled FAY" accounts for all students in the school or district for the full prior academic year, including students not tested during the three week testing window. This sorting is done without regard to differences in the student populations served whose educational needs are best met using different strategies. DPI recommends the use of "ALL enrolled FAY" data only when comparing districts and schools that are similar. Otherwise disaggregated data will provide a more useful, less misleading comparison of district and school programs.

• DPI recommends comparing dissimilar schools and districts through the use of disaggregated data. Comparing dissimilar districts and schools using "All enrolled FAY" data may lead to the conclusion that district or school programs are ineffective when in fact the reverse may be true or, worse, may mask serious educational concerns affecting specific student populations. Disaggregated data by student group provide more useful information about the relative effectiveness of local educational strategies than data aggregated across all student groups. Nearly all WINSS data pages provide the option to compare disaggregated data across districts or schools by using the "View By," "Selected Schools," and "Selected Districts" options.

• Demographic data were provided by school districts based on standardized definitions and are unaudited.

• Per member spending patterns vary across grades. This fact will affect interpretations of district-level spending differences when comparing elementary only or high school only districts to K-12 districts.

• Current education cost per member is affected by changes in both cost and membership (FTE resident enrollment). A relatively small actual change in membership, particularly in a smaller district, can result in a significant cost per member change.

See also