High schools eliminating the valedictorian title?

[cynatnite]

The valedictorian title is being eliminated because the way it is determined — based on gradepoint average — is being eliminated through the changes the state is implementing.

Board members also felt the title deterred some students from taking Advanced Placement classes. Some students, rather than taking more challenging classes, will take classes at or below their learning level in order to maintain a higher GPA.

“Several surrounding school systems have already eliminated such,” Director of Schools Ron Dykes said. “It does appear to be not only a local but national trend.”

http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9012233

I don't get this. It makes no sense to eliminate the title.

[XemaSab]

1. I thought honors and AP classes

gave you a potential of getting more than a 4.0.

I don't remember what our valedictorian had for the GPA, but it was 4.2, or something ridiculous.

[blue_onyx]

7. Yes, those classes let someone get higher than 4.0

I had one AP class but I didn't have a 4.0 or higher. A lot of people in my AP math classes were in all the AP classes and had 4.3 or 4.4. I'm not sure if we had a valedictorian. If we did, I didn't care enough to know who it was.

[WolverineDG]

18. At my school they were weighted more

If you wanted a shot at Valedictorian/Salutatorian, you had to take all Honors for four years.

dg

[Gormy Cuss]

22. Not in all school systems.

My high school didn't assign weights. Any "A+" in a college prep class was a 4.0 no matter how hard or easy the course was. We were allowed to take drivers ed for credit and the highest academic achievers were counseled against doing so because of the potential for bringing down GPAs.

[panader0]

2. I hope not, for my daughter's sake.

She is currently #2 in her junior class of over 650 students with a 4.5 GPA. And not because of easy classes. Her GPA is over 4 because she takes all advanced classes. She has a real shot at valedictorian next year.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. If kids are taking mickey mouse classes in order to inflate their GPA, then there

is definitely a problem.

I'd rather have my kids get a hard C than an easy A any day. And if they miss out on being valedictorian because they took more challenging classes, then so be it.

[ejpoeta]

12. if kids want easy classes for an easy A, they don't need valedictorian as excuse.

because colleges might see the gpa also. We had regent's diplomas when i was a kid and I found out that outside of NY no one cared. So my b+ for a regent's class vs a non regents for someone with an A-.... they wouldn't account for my harder classes. so if kids want to get to college, they might take easier classes to boost their GPA for that...

[Belial]

4. Just more BS from our education system..

This is a nice way of seeing no one wants to see Johnny get his feelings hurt if Jamie gets Honors.. We dont want to make a child special because they excel in any way.. sigh

[fishwax]

10. how do you figure?

that's certainly not what they're saying about it, and the fact that they're introducing honors for graduating with distinction would suggest that they're not worried about setting people apart. :shrug:

[Howardx]

11. exactly

you see it everywhere these days. cant see a good outcome from it.

[LanternWaste]

14. Seems less about hurt feelings and more about gaming a system...

Seems less about hurt feelings and more about gaming a system. However, I'm the first to say I may have missed a relevant passage in the story-- you could direct us to that, yes?

Or (and I find this a bit more likely) is this subjective interpretation merely a projection of an opinion you've already held, facts be damned?

...sigh

[billyoc]

5. Remember the teacher that got fired for catching all the students cheating?

Yeah, GPA, that's relevent. :eyes:

[paulsby]

6. had a girl do this when i was in high school

she was in running for valedictorian. she was also in my calculus class. when it became clear to her after the first few classes, that she likely could not get a good grade in calculus, she switched her classes to an easier class in order to assure valedictorian status.

it is true that i guess in most schools, you can get a 4.0 in easier classes or a 3.5 in harder classes, but the latter is not going to get you the title.

i'm not sure if eliminating the title is a good idea, though.

i am still all for recognizing excellence, even if the system has flaws.

[blue_onyx]

13. Yeah, it can be easy to get a 4.0 sometimes

So many people slacked off their senior year and would take classes like "consumer math" (where they learned to calculate sales tax) or "independent reading" (where they had to read books and write reports). I was taking AP calculus and physics. So people who took "blow off" classes would be on the honor roll even though they didn't necessary put in the effort that others with difficult classes did.

[Staph]

8. My high school had no valedictorian

when I graduated in 197-mumble-mumble....

My school had 1700 students in grades 10 through 12, with a mixture of college-bound students as well as vocational track students (there was no separate vocational school at the time and there were no AP classes. If you wanted advanced courses, you could arrange to take classes at West Virginia University in town.). As I understand, that was the school policy because the students in the college prep courses rarely ended up as valedictorian or salutatorian -- it was usually the best typist in the secretarial track.

The important recognition at that time was becoming a member of the National Honor Society in your junior year. That meant that you were in the top five percent of your class, no matter what track you were following.

[Pharlo]

9. Around here, if you're not taking AP courses,

you don't have a shot at valedictorian, because the top fifty or so students all have more than a 4.5. So, I don't understand their reasoning. Unless in that state, AP classes are only worth 4.0. In which case, an equally logical solution would be to index the AP classes to a higher numerical value than non AP courses.

[alfredo]

15. If you can't spell it, you don't get it.

[Initech]

16. Makes sense. When I graduated there were over 25 people claiming that title.

[SoCalDem]

17. Actually AP classes INFLATE GPAs, since they have a higher

"value"..at least they did when my son was taking them:) In his graduating class (1997), there were quite a few (like him) who had MORE than 4. GPAs..

He graduated summa cum laude, but he was not the valedictorian..

[scrinmaster]

19. The valedictorian at my high school had something like a 4.3 GPA.

She definitely didn't skip out on the AP and Honors classes.

[Critters2]

20. Wierd story from my dad's life.

He was second in his high school class. Just before graduation, there was a "senior day" where seniors cut class for the day. My grandfather insisted my dad spend the day working on the farm, but other kids had like a picnic or whatever, with a hayrack ride. The Valedictorian fell off the wagon right under a tire, and was killed. The principal went to my dad's home that night, to tell him he'd be giving the Valedictory address. He refused, saying he still thought of himself as second in the class, and wouldn't take the honor in this way.

On another note...I must be a huge disappointment to my dad :)

[Believing Is Art]

21. Does it really matter?

They aren't eliminating GPAs. They aren't eliminating AP or honors courses. Colleges can still look at the students' transcripts and see how they did and which classes they took.

They could weight AP or honors courses, but that system can be abused. When I was in high school, the AP courses were all weighted and a couple others were as well, accelerated pre-calc and accelerated english 3 . . . maybe french and spanish 4 but I'm not sure. When I started high school, I decided I wanted to take two languages instead of continuing band, so I was on track to have the highest GPA, assuming I got all As. This pissed off the parents of the students right behind me. Since some of them were on the PTA, they got chorus, strings, and band weighted. Seriously. For reasons I don't remember (AP euro history maybe?) I still ended up as valedictorian, but the whole thing was incredibly silly. Students were getting weighted credit to sit around and gossip for an hour. Well, I think the strings teacher took it more seriously, but band and chorus were jokes.

[NashVegas]

23. They Ought To Remove Grading Altogether

Except for pass / fail.