Monrovia Unified School District Superintendent Linda Wagner wrote the following email to Patch in response to questions about a U.S. News & World Report story that :
This U.S. News methodology uses a three step process. To simplify and summarize, they take into account reading and math results for all students on the high school proficiency tests, they look at how the school's least advantaged students are performing in relationship to other students in the state, and they look at how many 12th grade students took at least one AP test before or during their senior year.
This is one way of looking at the achievement of schools. We strive to show improvement through improved student achievement in all forms of academic measurement.
Don't kid yourself, these ranking matter, and they create a perception of greater value in communities that are ranked higher. So Linda can espouse any theory she wants to make herself fell better, but lower rankings translate into lower perceived community value.