The Derry (PA) school district, which includes Hershey High (yup, the town where the chocolate comes from), has eliminated class rankings, and has therefore eliminated the position of valedictorian for the class of 2005. The decision was ostensibly made to protect those whose class rankings might have kept them out of college. (Funny, but I figured doing well enough to qualify for college was the responsibility of the student, not the school.)
Needless to say, those 11th-graders who had a shot at the top spot are taken aback:
The Derry Twp. school board this week eliminated class rankings, starting with the class of 2005. School officials are still reviewing whether to have a valedictorian and salutatorian...The Derry decision has left many parents and students dismayed.
"Having a valedictorian is tradition, sort of like the prom," [Junior Derek] Pae said. His most recent rank is first. Homecoming queens are praised for beauty, and class presidents are honored for popularity, so schools should recognize the academic achievement of students, Pae said.
Don't worry, Derek, I'm sure beauty pageants and elections for class rulers are next on the list to be abolished. Wouldn't want to make those unattractive or unpopular students feel bad about themselves, and we wouldn't want those attractive or outgoing students to receive any external validation for those qualities, either.
Derry school officials said the ranking system may hurt students' chances at getting into college, and that is why it was dropped. "We have kids who were absolutely tremendous students who barely made it to the top one-third of the class. It's a relief to have it not hurt anybody any longer," said Bonnie Goble, a board member.
"Eliminating class ranks forces college admission counselors to take a harder look at our applicants," said Mike Murphy, principal of Hershey High School.
Since when are school board members in charge of making sure no students are "hurt" based on their grades? And how are they "tremendous" students if they're not in the top 30% of the class, unless grades are so inflated that the top 50% or so all get A's? I think that's what's really going on, based on my own (anecdotal) experience.
In high school, I had a B+ average with AP courses - and barely squeaked into the top 5% of the class. Thus, I know for a fact that no more than 21 students at my high school had a GPA of 4.0 for challenging courses. I'm sure some students who were down around the 70th percentile went on to college, but I don't think our guidance counselor would have called them "tremendous", because they either didn't take college prep courses, or didn't have high GPAs.
Interestingly, some college admission counselors disagree with Principal Murphy's statement:
"It's totally not true that students are disadvantaged by class ranks in the admissions process," said Joseph Cretella, dean of graduate and undergraduate admissions at Shippensburg University.
Shippensburg uses rankings to determine scholarship awards, Cretella said. If the rank is not available, the dean calls the high school for an estimated percentage of where the student would be in the class.
There are valid reasons to preserve rankings. As mentioned above, some college scholarships are based on rankings, and presumably students with no rank will be out of the running on those. High rankings can help a student with a low SAT score with the college admission process. And students who are competitive enjoy the honor that comes with distinctive rankings.
Notice a pattern here? In order to protect those "tremendous" students who are in the middle of the grade distribution, the top students are getting shafted, and their accomplishments will go unrewarded.
Class ranks should be celebrated, said Kermit Leitner, principal of Susquehanna Twp. High School.
"In this day and age when athletics get so much attention, I think it's tremendously important to give the highest accolades we can for academic achievement," he said.
In the end, it is about honor.
"You spend four years working hard and if you end up at the top, it's a great honor," [junior Andrew] Fouche said. "I don't think it's fair that my friends may not be recognized for their achievement."
Posted by kswygert at August 14, 2003 11:46 AM