The decisive list: Top 20 schools of Hungary

Összkép has drawn a TOP 20 list of schools based on their absolute score on the national competence tests.

In our previous article, we reported the TOP 20 schools of the capital based on the added value of the institutions. Now the focus is on the absolute results. This indicator shows how well-prepared and likely students are to get into a good high school. The results show that the performance of the joint work of teachers and children is only one element of the success. Establishing an attractive spirit for children and the knowledge and skills they receive from their parents have important roles.

Both in terms of Mathematics and Reading Comprehension the capital schools are clearly in the majority in these TOP 20 lists. Capable competing with them are mostly urban schools. However, we can also find institutions of small towns which made it to the bests from a more difficult situation.

The calculations of Összkép used the results of the 6th-grade-pupils. It lined up all the schools in the country based average scores achieved between 2008 and 2015.

However, getting to the top 20 in the country is a huge thing. It is not clear if the encounter of well-situated students with good teachers would result in an extremely good school. Being among the bests needs a continuous, hard-working and serious work. Congratulation!

The efforts of school leaders, teachers, students and parents also improve the chances of further education for children. The high performance of the elite high schools is built on the knowledge and skills of the talented students. They can be expected to be leading experts, executives, teachers, scientists and artists after having completed university. The potential and performance of a country depends on its elite’s efficiency. An education in the most successful primary schools means an opportunity. The example that these schools present to other institutions is also substantial. Their everyday work and the attitude of their staff shows how making a good school in Hungary is possible.

Although socially facing problems, Gyüre and Bárna’s schools can compete with institutions teaching students of much better background. This is a huge achievement in the light of the close relationship between social status and school achievement.

WHERE ARE THE DATA FROM?

Schools and their pupils are challenged in different ways now and then. Let it be the competence tests, PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) testing or the entrance examination of the secondary school system. Each test evaluates in a different way, but they are important bases for school’s work comparison . The TOP 20 lists above are based on the data of the periodic competence tests between 2008 and 2015.

Since 2008, every pupil of 6th, 8th and 10th grade has written the competence tests in Hungary. It measures what extent children can use of the knowledge in Mathematics and Reading Comprehension they gained in school.

However, it is important to note that the results of these competence tests show only one dimension. These numbers do not indicate the atmosphere of the school, if the children like going there, or what kind of psychological education they receive. It would be a great mistake to name the best school only based on the rough numbers. Children are different and different atmospheres and ways of education provide them safe development.

According to the objective indexes, however, being among the best ones is an unquestionable achievement. Based on this concept, the lists publish the top 20 schools in alphabetical order.

A general experience shows that in the case of standard, unified tests, children with better social background perform better. Therefore it remains an open question: Does a school achieve great results because of its outstanding pedagogical work or because it could gather many children with good social background?

This is why they created the concept of the so-called added pedagogical value . It concentrates on to what extent the children’s results can be thanked for the schools’ work. It is calculated by filtering out the effects that are independent of the schools with statistical methods.

Source: osszkep.hu