Hoosac Valley High May Eliminate Class Rank System
 The School Committee is considering eliminating class rankings and dispensing with the valedictorian model. |
CHESHIRE, Mass. – Hoosac Valley High School may eliminate class rankings, and the class valedictorian along with them.
Superintendent Kristen Gordon relayed a letter with the suggestion from Hoosac Valley Principal Jeremiah Ames to the Adams-Cheshire School Committee on Monday.
Gordon said Ames has suggested this because he fears rank may affect how colleges look at student transcripts because some schools only look at a certain top percentage of students.
"Many colleges say they are only looking at the top 10 or the top 25 percent, and they don't look at the GPA," Gordon said. "If you have a student with a GPA of 96.125 and another one of 96.225 you can see how the ranking can knock a kid out."
Gordon said Ames' suggestion would eliminate the valedictorian and salutatorian model and, although the rank won't be marked on students' transcripts or announced, the district will still record these numbers like it always has.
School Committee members Darlene Rodowicz said she thought eliminating class rank would be best for the students and the teachers.
"I think it also allows the teachers to be more honest about grades, too. I wouldn't want to be the teacher that knocks any one out of a one or two spot their senior year," she said. "I think it should be about your own self-improvement not how you do compared to everyone else."
Committee member Brian Astorino was hesitant eliminating ranking because he felt it is a motivator for students, Chairman Paul Butler agreed. He said his son was a salutatorian and it was a good motivator for him and his friends.
"It was a good motivator for each of them to better themselves and the fact that two of them got those two top honors was nice," Butler said. "But it was also along that journey that they just forced themselves to do better and better along the way."
Rodowicz said she felt this kind of motivation should come from within the classroom and how to achieve aspirations more so than competing with other classmates.
Butler also showed concern about making the changes with new seniors coming in expecting a certain rank.
The committee agreed to contact surrounding colleges to see how they look at class rank. Ames will be present at the next meeting to speak to the proposed change.
The School Committee did vote to increase lunch prices in the middle and high school by a quarter. This will bring middle school lunches to $2.50 and high school lunches to $2.75. Adult lunches will be $3.75 and breakfast will remain free.
Rodowicz said the increase is only to get prices in line with the federal reimbursement so the district does not have to pay the government back any money.
Business Manager David Hinkel said the district hasn't changed prices in nearly six years.
Hinkel added that it would not be beneficial for the district to move to a free lunch program like North Adams and Pittsfield because any savings would be marginal and it would not receive 100 percent reimbursement. Both those cities recently implemented a federal pilot program to offer free lunches for all elementary schoolchildren, regardless of income.
He said in order to apply for the program, more than 40 percent of the student body must benefit from some sort of government aid program. He said the district is well under this amount and the only school above it is C.T. Plunkett in Adams, which has 44 percent.
He said the program would only cover 70 percent of the C.T. Plunkett student body. He will revisit the program next year.
Gordon gave the board an update on the district's security protocols in response to alleged terrorist plans in Adams.
She said there are plans for an intruder inside the building and outside. She will meet with the crisis management team and go over the plans before the school year starts.
She said the local police departments always support the district.
"We have three great police departments that we work with," she said. "They are so good, and they always make sure we are safe and secure and that we have what we need."
Tags: class rank, school lunch, val & sal,
