High school plans to end class ranks for grads

The valedictorian and salutatorian who give commencement speeches at South St. Paul High School this spring won't just say goodbye to their classmates: They'll mark the end of a tradition.

Starting next year, the Dakota County school will no longer list class rank on student transcripts, joining a national movement away from that measure of academic performance. Nor will it name a valedictorian or salutatorian, honors that have long gone to the students with the highest grade-point averages.

And instead of giving out sashes to honor students in the top 15 percent of their class at graduation, the school will recognize everyone with a GPA of 3.7 or above.

"It's a move to help the masses, and that's what we're all about," said Principal Butch Moening of the decision to ditch class rankings. "I think it's going to help some of our kids get into college that may not have had an opportunity."

South St. Paul has so many high-performing students that many with strong grades end up relatively low in class rankings, Moening said. By de-emphasizing numeric standings, he aims to discourage colleges from using those numbers as a way to weed out applicants who might otherwise make the cut. The principal believes the new system will be particularly helpful for students with GPAs in the 3.0 to 3.5 range.

However, the school will still calculate class rank for colleges and scholarships that require it, he said.

Moening also hopes that the changes will cut down on the kind of academic pressure that causes some top students to shy away from educational opportunities. Some, for example, might opt against an extra music elective because it's not given as much weight as advanced courses in GPA calculations, and could lower their rankings as a result.

Still, some families said they aren't thrilled to see class rank and valedictorians go. "It gave my kids motivation to work very hard," said Mahfuza Ali, whose youngest daughter, Leeza, was one of two valedictorians in South St. Paul this spring.

Nationwide, the importance of class rank in college admissions decisions has diminished in the past 20 years, with colleges putting more emphasis on factors such as grades and scores on exams such as the ACT, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

A number of metro-area high schools have stopped using class rank in recent years, including Henry Sibley, Irondale, Edina and Minnetonka.

"We're not the trend setters," Moening said. "This has been going on for a while in education."

The South St. Paul school board gave Moening the OK to dispense with class rank and valedictorians this summer. The principal explained the new system, which takes effect in 2012-13, in a letter that he sent to families this month.

White's daughter, who graduated near the top of her class this spring, isn't so sure. "I think it's good to know where you stand in your class," said Jaime White, who said the system pushed her to work harder.

"It's kind of a bummer," said Elizabeth Mellen, a rising junior who said she was second in her class last time she saw her rank.

Mellen said that the desire to maintain a high class rank was a strong influence in her decision to sign up for International Baccalaureate classes at the high school this fall instead of college courses through the state's Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program.

Earning PSEO credits could have saved her money in college tuition down the line, but IB credits are given more weight when the high school calculates GPAs and class rank, she said. As a result, taking PSEO courses could have knocked her out of the running to graduate at the top of her class, an achievement that Mellen believes could also help her get into the college of her choice.

"I wanted to go for valedictorian," she said.