By: Alyson Kelly
The last few years at JHS have consisted of success after success. Greater Johnstown High School has been recognized as one of the top learning institutions in the state of Pennsylvania, and has won for the second consecutive year a bronze medal in America's Best High Schools Project.
America's Best High Schools Project, is sponsored by Standard and Poor's School Evaluation Services, a data research business. To fairly assess the schools across the nation, Standard and Poor's chose to bypass the traditional method for the ranking, the Challenge Index, in favor of the newly designed Top-Performing High Schools Method. The Challenge Index is valued for its simplicity, but these researchers felt that it focused too much on the number of Advanced Placement tests taken instead of the performance on them. The core principle of the Top-Performing High Schools Method, however, is that the school in question serves all of its students well. This is measured with three requirements: the school serves all its students well by exceeding expectations on state tests with the poverty level of the school figured in; it serves disadvantaged students by producing scores above the minimum required on state tests; and the College Readiness Index, which is measured by the participation and performance of students in AP classes.
Greater Johnstown High School earned a bronze medal in this ranking. JHS has been steadily raising its PSSA scores over the years, due to data driven instruction, good teaching, and the 4Sight tests that are taken five times a year by the students, developed for the sole purpose of preparing them for the PSSAs. If a student doesn't achieve proficient in the reading and math tests then he is taken out of an elective and put into a skills development class, serving the purpose of helping students who need assistance.
Schools that received a silver or gold medal in the America's Best High Schools Project had met the first two standards of the competition and were judged on the College Readiness Index from there. The top 100 schools were awarded a gold medal and the next 504 schools received a silver. In addition to this, a few schools that would have earned a gold based on the College Readiness Index but didn't fully meet the first two requirements were given Honorable Mentions. JHS has had a successful year in athletics, and the bronze medal earned shows that the school is successful in academic achievement, as well. Regarding this high honor, Principal Michael Vuckovich says, "It's an incredible accomplishment for the Greater Johnstown School District. We have a great teaching staff, great kids, and wonderful leadership from our school board and Superintendent, Barbara Parkins--all of which are reflected by this award. I speak for the entire school when I say that we are humbled and honored by this award."
