How St. Joseph-Ogden High School honors its top graduates may be changing.
Tonight, the Board of Education will discuss moving to the Latin Distinction Levels system in regard to graduation honors.
Principal Gary Page said the administration has noticed that using the traditional method of class rank to select a valedictorian and salutatorian and reporting a student’s numerical rank on their transcript is not an accurate way to showcase the academic prowess of a large number of students.
Page also said that the current class rank system prevents students from taking courses that are of high interest to them and doesn’t always promote a well-rounded education.
Page said because of this the district has been discussing whether to move a system of graduation distinction levels modeled after the Latin Distinction Levels of Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Cum Laude because the district feels it would level the playing field when competing for scholarships and college entrance.
Page had previously told the board that the class rank system does not accurately represent the students academic ability and reflect the curriculum of the district.
Page showed the board how five different students, who all had an A GPA and an SAT score that represents well above college readiness all had ranks outside of the top 10 percent and in all but one case outside the top 25 percent.
“If we replace rank with a distinction along with the GPA and SAT score these students look more appealing to an admissions office or selection committee,” Page said.
Page told the board that class rank is not a significant factor in college admission and in some cases is only used if a rank is given and any school that requires a rank can still be given one by the district.
Page said each year there are SJO students that take classes for the sole purpose of achieving a certain rank and forgo classes that would be beneficial to their future education or careers.
Page said many academically competitive schools are moving to a type of distinction systems.
Recently, Page met with the top ten percent of the junior and senior classes to discuss the proposed change.
“The stress piece was their biggest talking point,” Page said. “As we talked about it you could see the load visibly lighten on
them.”
Page said many of the students talked about how the change could affect their class schedule and the classes they
would take.
“The mental health piece is the biggest thing in schools now,” Page said. “They talked about the unhealthy competition that can exist. They were overwhelming its good to have the competition and keep the competition but not be exclusitory to others. And celebrate that you both got an A on the test.”
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