One of the biggest reasons parents choose a private school for their children is the small class size. The benefits of smaller classes extend beyond test scores and student engagement. In addition to the longer-term positive attributes of small class sizes in the early grades, benefits include continued academic and life success. Researchers have found that reducing class size can influence socioeconomic factors including earning potential, improved citizenship..... All of these benefits are the reason our parents and the area middle schools love Our Savior's Lutheran School.
Our Savior’s Lutheran School’s average test scores across all subjects have been at the 89%ile or better for the past four years, with even better scores in reading and math. This is an amazing accomplishment for our students which can’t just be attributed to high socio-economic and educational levels of parents, as a recent study shows. So what is it that makes the difference? The difference, of course, is in the school and the teachers.
A recent study shows the extremely poor math test results of US students compared to other industrialized countries, even when students are from highly educated families. That is not the case here at Our Savior’s Lutheran School, where 100% of our fifth grade students score proficient or above. Compared to other fifth grade students nationally, our students’ average math scores are in the top 4% of the nation.
At Our Savior’s Lutheran School, I can safely say the answer is no....For students to be successful, learning can’t be an either/or. It has to be a both/and. That is what we have been doing at OSLS for many years.
A survey was conducted last spring of Americans' educational preferences. The survey showed that among those who expressed a preference between public, private, or charter schools, over 83% gave top scores to private schools. Another result of the survey showed that 83% of Americans who had an opinion about private schools gave a score of an A or B to private schools.
The recent news that high school students’ SAT scores are at the lowest level in 10 years brings a whole host of questions to me about testing and the quality of education in general. I don’t want to even try to address the general quality question because there are so many factors that affect a student’s potential for success. However, it does cause me to pause and consider what we are doing here at Our Savior’s Lutheran School to promote and encourage the success of our students. Last week I wrote about one success factor explained in a study of students’ pro-social skills. The study showed that students who get along with others, share, are kind, etc. have a dramatically better chance for success in life.