West Suburban School District Considers Removing Class Ranking System

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CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A west suburban school district is considering whether to join surrounding districts in doing away with a class ranking system.

That would mean no more class valedictorians and salutatorians, those with the #1 and #2 rankings.

West Aurora School District Supt. Jeff Craig said the importance of class rankings to get into college has diminished to insignificant proportions. He said that, in 1993, colleges and universities indicated class rankings were important 42 percent of the time but that, by 2003, that number had dropped to 15 percent.  He suspects the number is even lower now.

Supt. Craig said he told the West Aurora School District 129 board that, in the coming year, he'll seek feedback from parents and students to gauge their feelings about eliminating class rankings.

He said the system would not be done away with quickly because so many students gear up for the competition for the #1 and #2 spots years in advance. 

"A lot of the planning and preparation and strategy for which classes kids will be taking in order to be able to compete for those top two spots begins in 6th, 7th, 8th grade," he said.

If West Aurora High School eliminates class rankings, it would consider going to the Latin Honor System, recognizing students with grade point averages of 3.75 and above.

Supt. Craig said students would earn cum laude honors with a grade point average of 3.75 to 3.99, magna cum laude honors with a GPA of 4.0 to 4.249 and summa cum laude honors with a 4.25 or better GPA.

He said the earliest a new system would begin is in the 2020-2021 school year,  but the question remains whether it would begin with incoming freshmen, new sophomores or some other class.

The co-valedictorian for 2018 at West Aurora High School, Sofia Partida, had suggested the change more than a year ago. She cited the pressure it puts on students as a prime reason for abandoning the class ranking system.

Supt. Craig said that, if West Aurora had had the Latin Honor system the past four years, more than 100 students would have been recognized for academic achievement each of those years.