School Performance: Proficiency and Mastery - What does it mean?

The U.S. News Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings highlight public schools that help students meet state standards in math and reading.
U.S. News rankings are based entirely on public data from the U.S. Department of Education. Rankings are state-based, and show strong performance on state tests.

Each school’s ranking is based on two main areas:

1. Student Proficiency (50%) – The percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards in math and reading.
2. Performance vs. Expectations (50%) – How well students perform compared to what’s expected given their backgrounds, including income levels and demographics.

Where do they get the data? - According to US News -
The rankings rely entirely on public data from the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. News does not survey schools; all scores are based on official, objective information about student performance.
Schools that perform better than expected for their students’ socioeconomic profiles (minority students, Title1 etc.) earn higher scores.

Private schools are not ranked because they don’t take state assessments. The majority of private schools use nationally normed standardized tests.

It’s important to know that proficiency is not the same as mastery. Proficiency shows a student is on track; mastery means a student truly understands the material and can apply it to new problems and real-world situations.

At Cedar Hill Prep School, we focus on mastery:

• Students deeply understand concepts
• Students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Students are prepared to thrive in high school and beyond

Ready to see the Cedar Hill Prep difference for yourself? Schedule a tour today and discover how we prepare students not just to meet standards, but to exceed them.
Contact our admissions at 732-356-5400 ext. 32 or visit www.cedarhillprep.com to learn more about our mastery-based approach to education.