WikiProject Schools
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Welcome to the assessment department of WikiProject Schools! This department focuses on assessing the quality of Wikipedia's School articles. While much of the work is done in conjunction with the WP:1.0 program, the article ratings are also used within the project itself to aid in recognizing excellent contributions and identifying topics in need of further work. Ratings are done in a distributed fashion through parameters in the ((WikiProject Schools)) project banner; this causes the articles to be placed in the appropriate sub-categories.

Frequently asked questions[edit]

How can I get my article rated?
Please list it in the section for assessment requests below.
Who can assess articles?
Any member of the Schools WikiProject is free to add—or change—the rating of an article. However, please review WP:COI before rating an article you are heavily involved in.
What if I don't agree with a rating?
You can list it in the section for assessment requests below, and someone will take a look at it. Alternately, you can ask any member of the project to rate the article again.
Aren't the ratings subjective?
Yes, they are, but it's the best system we've been able to devise; if you have a better idea, please don't hesitate to let us know!

If you have any other questions not listed here, please feel free to ask them on the discussion page for this department.

Instructions[edit]

Shortcuts

An article's assessment is generated from the class and importance parameters in the ((WikiProject Schools)) project banner on its talk page: 

((WikiProject Schools|class=|importance=))

If the article already has an infobox, add the line: needs-infobox=no. By adding "info=<text of assessment>" this template will generates a boilerplate assessment text.

Process

  1. Tag an article related to this project (or look at a tagged article).
  2. Read the article and analyze it.
  3. Place your assessment in the ((WikiProject Schools)) banner on the articles talk page (according to the scales below).
  4. Unless the reasoning for an assessment is self-evident, such as assessing a very short article as Stub-class and Low-importance, please place a summary of your assessment on the article's talk page. This should include a rationale for your choice of ratings, and possibly suggestions for future contributors on how to improve the article's quality rating. If the assessment is likely to be controversial you may wish to leave a note about it on the main project talk page.

Quality scale

An article's quality assessment is generated from the class parameter in the ((WikiProject Schools)) project banner on its talk page:

((WikiProject Schools|class=???))

The following values may be used for the class parameter to describe the quality of the article (see Wikipedia:Content assessment for assessment criteria):

FA (for featured articles only; adds articles to Category:FA-Class school articles)  FA
A (adds articles to Category:A-Class school articles)  A
GA (for good articles only; adds articles to Category:GA-Class school articles)  GA
B (adds articles to Category:B-Class school articles) B
C (adds articles to Category:C-Class school articles) C
Start (adds articles to Category:Start-Class school articles) Start
Stub (adds articles to Category:Stub-Class school articles) Stub
FL (for featured lists only; adds articles to Category:FL-Class school articles)  FL
List (adds articles to Category:List-Class school articles) List

For non-standard grades and non-mainspace content, the following values may be used for the class parameter:

Category (for categories; adds pages to Category:Category-Class school articles) Category
Disambig (for disambiguation pages; adds pages to Category:Disambig-Class school articles) Disambig
Draft (for drafts; adds pages to Category:Draft-Class school articles) Draft
FM (for featured media only; adds pages to Category:FM-Class school articles)  FM
File (for files and timed text; adds pages to Category:File-Class school articles) File
Portal (for portal pages; adds pages to Category:Portal-Class school articles) Portal
Project (for project pages; adds pages to Category:Project-Class school articles) Project
Redirect (for redirect pages; adds pages to Category:Redirect-Class school articles) Redirect
Template (for templates and modules; adds pages to Category:Template-Class school articles) Template
NA (for any other pages where assessment is unnecessary; adds pages to Category:NA-Class school articles) NA
??? (articles for which a valid class has not yet been provided are listed in Category:Unassessed school articles) ???

Note: You should not assign any GA, A, FA or FL grades arbitrarily. These grades must pass through official Wikipedia channels and undergo a peer review process.

Examples

Class Criteria Reader's experience Editor's experience Examples
FA
 The article has obtained Featured article status.
More detailed criteria
The article must meet the featured article criteria:

A featured article exemplifies Wikipedia's very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and sourcing. In addition to meeting the policies regarding content for all Wikipedia articles, it has the following attributes.

  1. It is:
    1. well-written: its prose is engaging and of a professional standard;
    2. comprehensive: it neglects no major facts or details and places the subject in context;
    3. well-researched: it is a thorough and representative survey of the relevant literature; claims are verifiable against high-quality reliable sources and are supported by inline citations where appropriate;
    4. neutral: it presents views fairly and without bias;
    5. stable: it is not subject to ongoing edit wars and its content does not change significantly from day to day, except in response to the featured article process; and
    6. compliant with Wikipedia's copyright policy and free of plagiarism or too-close paraphrasing.
  2. It follows the style guidelines, including the provision of:
    1. a lead: a concise lead section that summarizes the topic and prepares the reader for the detail in the subsequent sections;
    2. appropriate structure: a substantial but not overwhelming system of hierarchical section headings; and
    3. consistent citations: where required by criterion 1c, consistently formatted inline citations using footnotes—see citing sources for suggestions on formatting references. Citation templates are not required.
  3. Media. It has images and other media, where appropriate, with succinct captions and acceptable copyright status. Images follow the image use policy. Non-free images or media must satisfy the criteria for inclusion of non-free content and be labeled accordingly.
  4. Length. It stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail and uses summary style where appropriate.
 Professional, outstanding, and thorough; a definitive source for encyclopedic information. No further content additions should be necessary unless new information becomes available; further improvements to the prose quality are often possible. Plano Senior High School
(as of July 2008)
A
 The article is well organized and is essentially complete, having been reviewed by impartial reviewers from a WikiProject or elsewhere, as described here.
More detailed criteria
 A

Provides a well-written, clear and complete description of the topic, as described in Wikipedia:Article development. It should be of a length suitable for the subject, appropriately structured, and be well referenced by a broad array of reliable sources. It should be well illustrated, with no copyright problems. Only minor style issues and other details need to be addressed before submission as a featured article candidate. See the A-Class assessment departments of some of the larger WikiProjects (e.g. WikiProject Military history).

Very useful to readers. A fairly complete treatment of the subject. A non-expert in the subject matter would typically find nothing wanting. Expert knowledge may be needed to tweak the article, and style issues may need addressing. Peer-review may help. Lethbridge Collegiate Institute
(as of June 2008)
GA
 The article has obtained Good article status.
More detailed criteria
The article must meet the good article criteria:

A good article is:

  1. Well-written:
    1. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct; and
    2. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.
  2. Verifiable with no original research:
    1. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline;
    2. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose);
    3. it contains no original research; and
    4. it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism.
  3. Broad in its coverage:
    1. it addresses the main aspects of the topic; and
    2. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).
  4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.
  5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.
  6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
    1. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content; and
    2. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.
 Useful to nearly all readers, with no obvious problems; approaching (although not equalling) the quality of a professional encyclopedia. Some editing by subject and style experts is helpful; comparison with an existing featured article on a similar topic may highlight areas where content is weak or missing. Carlton le Willows Academy (as of June 2019)
B
 The article is mostly complete and without major issues, but requires some further work to reach Good Article standards. B-Class articles should meet the six B-Class criteria:
More detailed criteria
  1. The article is suitably referenced, with inline citations. It has reliable sources, and any important or controversial material which is likely to be challenged is cited. Any format of inline citation is acceptable: the use of <ref> tags and citation templates such as ((cite web)) is optional.
  2. The article reasonably covers the topic, and does not contain obvious omissions or inaccuracies. It contains a large proportion of the material necessary for an A-Class article, although some sections may need expansion, and some less important topics may be missing.
  3. The article has a defined structure. Content should be organized into groups of related material, including a lead section and all the sections that can reasonably be included in an article of its kind.
  4. The article is reasonably well-written. The prose contains no major grammatical errors and flows sensibly, but it does not need to be "brilliant". The Manual of Style does not need to be followed rigorously.
  5. The article contains supporting materials where appropriate. Illustrations are encouraged, though not required. Diagrams, an infobox etc. should be included where they are relevant and useful to the content.
  6. The article presents its content in an appropriately understandable way. It is written with as broad an audience in mind as possible. The article should not assume unnecessary technical background and technical terms should be explained or avoided where possible.
 No reader should be left wanting, although the content may not be complete enough to satisfy a serious student or researcher. A few aspects of content and style need to be addressed, and expert knowledge is increasingly needed. The inclusion of supporting materials should also be considered if practical, and the article checked for general compliance with the manual of style. Institut Le Rosey
(as of July 2008)
C
 The article is substantial, but is still missing important content or contains a lot of irrelevant material. The article should have some references to reliable sources, but may still have significant issues or require substantial cleanup.
More detailed criteria
The article is better developed in style, structure and quality than Start-Class, but fails one or more of the criteria for B-Class. It may have some gaps or missing elements; need editing for clarity, balance or flow; or contain policy violations such as bias or trivia. Articles on fictional topics are likely to be marked as C-Class if they are written from an in-universe perspective.
Useful to a casual reader, but would not provide a complete picture for even a moderately detailed study. Considerable editing is needed to close gaps in content and address cleanup issues. Nagle Catholic College, Geraldton
(as of May 2017)
Start
 An article that is developing, but which is quite incomplete and, most notably, lacks adequate reliable sources.
More detailed criteria
The article has a usable amount of good content, but it is weak in many areas, usually in referencing. Quality of the prose may be distinctly unencyclopedic, and MoS compliance non-existent; but the article should satisfy fundamental content policies such as notability and BLP, and provide enough sources to establish verifiability. No Start-Class article should be in any danger of being speedily deleted.
Provides some meaningful content, but the majority of readers will need more. Provision of references to reliable sources should be prioritised; the article will also need substantial improvements in content and organisation. Black Forest Academy
(as of July 2008)
Stub
 A very basic description of the topic.
More detailed criteria
The article is either a very short article or a rough collection of information that will need much work to become a meaningful article. It is usually very short, but can be of any length if the material is irrelevant or incomprehensible.
Provides very little meaningful content; may be little more than a dictionary definition Any editing or additional material can be helpful. The provision of meaningful content should be a priority. The Grange School, Aylesbury
(as of July 2008)
FL
 The article has obtained Featured list status.
More detailed criteria
The article must meet the featured list criteria:
  1. Prose. It features professional standards of writing.
  2. Lead. It has an engaging lead that introduces the subject and defines the scope and inclusion criteria.
  3. Comprehensiveness.
  4. Structure. It is easy to navigate and includes, where helpful, section headings and table sort facilities.
  5. Style. It complies with the Manual of Style and its supplementary pages.
  6. Stability. It is not the subject of ongoing edit wars and its content does not change significantly from day to day, except in response to the featured list process.
 Professional standard; it comprehensively covers the defined scope, usually providing a complete set of items, and has annotations that provide useful and appropriate information about those items. No further content additions should be necessary unless new information becomes available. List of schools in Northland, New Zealand
(as of June 2008)
List
 Meets the criteria of a stand-alone list, which is an article that contains primarily a list, usually consisting of links to articles in a particular subject area. There is no set format for a list, but its organization should be logical and useful to the reader. Lists should be lists of live links to Wikipedia articles, appropriately named and organized. List of schools in Victoria, Australia
(as of August 2011)

Importance scale

School article statistics

This list is generated automatically by a bot approximately every 3 days.

view full worklist   /   view log
WikiProject Schools articles by quality and importance
Quality Importance
Top High Mid Low NA ??? Total
FA 2 1 2 1 6
FL 2 1 1 4
FM 4 4
A 1 1
GA 1 7 23 24 55
B 25 73 124 237 9 468
C 32 127 449 2,404 27 3,039
Start 25 210 1,147 16,537 4 2,054 19,977
Stub 4 35 344 18,336 3,113 21,832
List 24 77 240 888 3 9 1,241
Draft 322 322
Category 3 13,940 13,943
Disambig 2 1,267 1,269
File 6,990 6,990
Portal 12 12
Project 1 86 87
Redirect 8 55 1,400 3,724 5,187
Template 2 1,028 1,030
Assessed 115 539 2,385 39,836 27,380 5,212 75,467
Unassessed 2 2 415 419
Total 115 539 2,385 39,838 27,382 5,627 75,886

School articles are rated on this importance scale. Importance must be regarded as a relative term. If importance values are applied within this project, these only reflect the perceived importance to this project and to the work groups the School falls under. An article judged to be "Top-Class" in one context may be only "Mid-Class" in another project. The criteria used for rating article priority are not meant to be an absolute or canonical view of how significant the topic is. Rather, they attempt to gauge the probability of the average reader of Wikipedia needing to look up the topic (and thus the immediate need to have a suitably well-written article on it). Importance assessments, especially of schools in the higher categories, are frequently reassessed and may go up or down in order to retain an appropriate balance within each country and within all the categories. Assessors are not experts on the schools in every country of the world, and will only make assessments based on the content of the existing article. Assessors can also check viewing stats for school articles using the Wikipedia stats tool, though stats will only be used in combination with other factors.

 Top 
 High 
 Mid 
 Low 
 NA 
 ??? 

The following values may be used for importance assessments:

Article importance standards

Assessments should not, in general, leave this field blank. This guide acts as a general standard by which to measure WikiProject Schools articles

School age

School ages are considered in relative terms within countries. For example a school founded in the eighteenth century is often young in European terms. For further reference see:

Categories[edit]

Click on "►" below to display subcategories:
WikiProject Schools articles

Assessment requests[edit]

Shortcuts

If you have made significant changes to an article and would like an outside opinion on a new rating for it, please feel free to list it below. If you assess an article, please strike it off using <s>Strike-through text</s> so that other editors will not waste time going there too. Old and fulfilled requests are periodically removed from the list.

Please note:

List

Add requests to the bottom of this list, please also sign your request by adding four tildes (~~~~):

*Hillel Day School - it used to be a redirect to locality, I just did a major rewrite. The talk page still shows "This article has been rated as Redirect-Class". I appreciate someone to assess the article. Will welcome your suggestions. Best regards, Yymmff (talk) 02:29, 20 November 2019 (UTC) checkY Done by RogueScholar on 22 November 2019. Yamfri (talk) 20:26, 20 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

*Edmund Burke School - page has been expanded and rewritten, a new assessment would be appreciated Bleubsdorf (talk) 10:55, 2 July 2020 (UTC) Change to Start.checkYDone[reply]

Bigbrain132 (talk) 00:55, 8 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Do NOT edit your own school, Not only is it a conflict of interest, but can be dangerous to you, who knows who might want to do harm to you, by editing your own school you are putting yourself in danger. 😎😎PaulGamerBoy360😎😎 (talk) 21:35, 29 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Assessment summaries[edit]

Up until February 2010 assessment summaries were placed in this section. However, to make assessing articles easier this practice has ended with old assessments now archived. At present assessments should be placed on the respective article's talk page (see #Process).

Article completions[edit]

There is a backlog of 3,117 articles with no assessment at all at Category:Unassessed school articles (24 February 2018). The backlog at Category:Unknown-importance school articles is increasing, with 13,954 articles in this category (24 February 2018), compared to 13,000 in July 2010 and 12,600 in March 2011. Verified: EyeTripleE (talk) 19:15, 14 October 2015 (UTC)'[reply]

Updated: ClemRutter (talk) 10:51, 24 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Finished assessing all of the unassessed articles, will work on unknown-importances next. ChillyBlanket (talk) 00:45, 22 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Assessment team[edit]

An alphabetical list of those of us who are active within the Assesssment Department of WikiProject Schools As of October 2023:

Categories