Do rankings matter? Public school superintendents' perceptions of the Challenge Index national high school rankings and their impact on Advanced Placement program decision

Schools are being subjected to greater levels of public scrutiny than at any time in recent history. Political demand for numerical data to measure student and school achievement stands at the center of the current accountability movement and associated standards-based curricular emphasis. The Challenge Index is an independent high-school assessment model, which has gained exposure through its publication in Newsweek. Since the Challenge Index measures Advanced Placement (AP) program participation, this study investigated if and how superintendents felt the impact of the Challenge Index through their oversight of AP programs.;A two-page survey, designed to measure the impact of the Challenge Index, was mailed to a sample of 170 superintendents in the state of New York. Exactly 50% of these superintendents oversee high schools ranked in the most recent Challenge Index 2000 report. Two validation phases, one of which included two interviews with sample participants, were used to test the survey and resulted in modifications prior to its general distribution. Responses were analyzed to detect trends in overall responses to survey items, as well as comparisons between superintendents who oversee high schools ranked in Challenge Index 2000 ("ranked") and those who do not ("unranked").;This study found that a superintendent's advocacy of an AP program is independent of his or her perception of the Challenge Index and its ability to measure student achievement. However, superintendents do generally associate AP programs in high schools with higher levels of overall student achievement, a sentiment which is more pronounced among ranked superintendents, who are also stronger advocates of AP programs than their unranked counterparts. Additionally, the publicity of being ranked in Newsweek creates greater pressure for superintendents to remain ranked in future Challenge Index reports. Finally, superintendents generally disagree about the Challenge Index's ability to reflect a high school's overall academic success and the appropriateness of using Challenge Index rankings as a vehicle to self-promote academic achievement.