Dist. 204 weighs eliminating class rank

Better to be late to the party than never make it there at all.

That's the approach Indian Prairie Unit District 204 is taking as they explore eliminating class rank.

Board members told administrators Monday they are "highly receptive" to ending the practice of reporting class rank, but want to get feedback from students and parents before moving forward.

Representatives from the high school guidance staff also support the measure and would like to see the practice end as soon as the upcoming school year.

Metea Valley High School Guidance Director Darcy Hutzler said many competitive programs believe rankings penalize students who are squeezed out of the top 10 to 25 percent,

In District 203, she said, a student from Waubonsie's class of 2009 would not be in the top half of their class with a 3.0 GPA.

A student in Neuqua Valley's class of 2009 with a 4.0 GPA also would not be in the top 10 percent of their class.

"Dropping rank prompts colleges to give higher consideration to the entire student profile," she said. "Over the years, colleges, even some of the largest state schools have moved toward a more wholistic review of applicants."

Several local high schools including New Trier, Stevenson, Deerfield, Benet Academy, Illinois Math and Science Academy and Naperville District 203 also have recently eliminated class rankings.

"I've thought class rank is antiquated," board member Dawn DeSart said. "Fifty percent of the schools nationwide no longer have a class rank. I think we're late to the party on this, so I'm glad to see we're here."

Board member Mark Metzger also supports eliminating the rank, but is ready to go a step further.

"If we're going to do this quickly as you suggested, I think we should also similarly quickly do away with all valedictorian and salutatorian recognition, because I think plenty of bad decisions are made about classes that need to be taken in pursuit of thousandths of grade points that just don't matter," Metzger said. "My personal preference would be to adopt some sort of Latin honor system where we would draw the lines and if your GPA is above a certain point, your name is called at graduation and they would say 'summa cum laude.'"

Board President Curt Bradshaw said he could agree with a system like Metzger suggested because it still involves an element of competition to be recognized.

"Competition is a powerful motivator for students, and it seems to be that if we're going to lose class rank that we do have something in place that serves as a motivator or means of competition," Bradshaw said. "It still puts something very powerful in place for students to reach for."

Director of School Improvement and Planning Mike Popp said any changes likely would take place with incoming freshmen of the class of 2014, depending on the feedback received in the coming weeks.

The board is scheduled to meet again Monday evening, but it was unclear whether the item would be on the agenda immediately.