When seniors across Northwest Arkansas don caps and gowns for graduation ceremonies next month, many graduates receiving special recognition will wear special stoles, cords and tassels during their commencement ceremonies.
The recognition given to graduating seniors for high academic achievement differs by district and reflects priorities of each high school.
For example, Bentonville High School and Northside and Southside high schools in Fort Smith continue long traditions of reporting the class rank of graduating seniors and determining a single valedictorian and salutatorian.
Other high schools in Northwest Arkansas have developed alternate forms of recognizing students for high academic achievement. At Fayetteville High School, all graduating seniors with grade-point averages above 4.0 are named valedictorian. The two Rogers high schools rank students and give special diplomas but do not name valedictorians.
Rogers Heritage High School Principal Karen Steen and Rogers High School Principal Robert Moore propose to end the district’s class rank policy, however, starting with the graduating class of 2017.
At the end of each school year, officials for the two high schools in Fort Smith calculate a grade-point average for all graduating seniors based on coursework and grades they earned from ninth through 12th grade, said Martin Mahan, Fort Smith Public Schools director of secondary education. Students earn a higher grade-point for Advanced Placement courses than for other courses.
Students are ranked by their grade-point averages and the top student is named as the first in class, with the second-highest student named second in class, Mahan said. During graduation ceremonies, the first and second in class are honored, as are the top 5 percent of the graduating class. Honors diplomas are given to graduates who maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average and passed eight pre-Advanced Placement or Advanced Placement courses.
“It encourages students to do their very best, to concentrate on their grades, to be cognizant of the grades they had last semester,” Mahan said. “It gives us something to motivate students with a form of competition.”
The traditional system encourages students to take upper level courses to raise their grade-point averages, he said.
SUCCESS IS NOT A NUMBER
Fayetteville High School,Huntsville and Harrison high schools name students with grade-point averages over 4.0 as valedictorians. Students can earn more than a 4.0 by taking Advanced Placement courses.
Fayetteville High School anticipates naming 47 valedictorians in the Class of 2013, said Anne Butt, the school’s college adviser.
“Their achievement is not just a number,” Butt said. “It can also be strength of schedule. It can be difficult to define a true No. 1.”
At Huntsville High School, seniors with over a 4.0 grade point average also must have taken 11 advanced courses and two years of the same foreign language to be named valedictorian, high school Counselor Anna Chappell said. This year, the high school anticipates naming seven valedictorians who will each give a speech during graduation.
Valedictorians of Huntsville High School typically have strong organizational skills, high intelligence, are social and involved in school and community programs, Chappell said. Past valedictorians have gone to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. One expected valedictorian with the Class of 2013 is headed to Emory University in Atlanta on a full scholarship. Others have gone to Arkansas universities, as well.
Their grade-point averages range from 4.15 to 4.2, Chappell said.
“When they’re that high up and they’ve all taken a minimum of 11 honors and pre-Advanced Placement classes, how can you make a difference in them?” Chappell said. “They’re so exceptional.” HONORS FOR MORE STUDENTS
At both Heritage and Rogers high schools, students earn “quality points” based on their grades for most courses taken from ninth through 12th grade, Steen said. For years, students taking two years of the same foreign language and completing Advanced Placement courses have graduated with honors.
The honors diplomas require a minimum 3.3 grade point average and minimum of 92 “quality points.” Students who exceed those requirements can earn diplomas for “high honors” and “distinguished honors.”
Steen and Moore began studying the policy and have proposed some changes, including ending the calculation of class rank, which is based on the number of quality points students earn. The School Board is studying the proposal and could vote on the proposed changes May 21.
The principals both said the class rank is reported to colleges but isn’t used for any other purpose. The district’s existing policy does not allow students to earn quality points for many courses. For example, students do not earn quality points for English-as-a-second-language courses, special eduction courses, and courses taken outside the school day such as swimming.
Steen said officials began to question the reason for ranking students. Steen and Moore began researching the importance of class rank and found that many high schools nationwide no longer report class rank and its importance has decreased for college admissions officers, Steen said.
Ending the class rank encourages students to take difficult courses and earn high grades to earn the special diplomas, but discourages competition among students, Steen said. All students who have the opportunity to be recognized as honors graduates.
And even though some English-as-a-second-language students meet all other requirements for an honors diploma including taking Advanced Placement courses, many do not earn enough quality points to graduate with honor because the English as a second language courses haven’t counted, Moore said.
The proposed changes would allow all students to pursue an honors diploma, Moore said. They still must earn high grade-point averages, take advanced courses and earn quality points.
“There’s a better way for us to recognize kids who work hard,” Moore said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 04/29/2013