On April 24, Monroe-Woodbury High School announced the Top 25 students of the class of 2024. I found myself, and many of my friends, to be among this accomplished group.
For those who are unaware, the Top 25 are the students with the highest GPAs in the senior class. Seniors receive an unofficial rank and GPA in the fall of their senior year and an official rank after the second semester. All high school courses and grades contribute to this rank, even advanced courses taken in middle school.
Class rank is still a practice of the vast majority of high schools and a highly considered part of college admission decisions. Every college/university is required to publish “Common Data Sets” and among other information, they list the importance of certain factors for admissions and class rank is often considered “Important” or “Very Important.” I was able to benefit from my rank as the college I will be attending considers rank to be very important, with most of their students being in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
I know I worked hard to earn the grades that I did–so did the other 24 students–and I am grateful for the acknowledgement the district has given me; however, I have issues with this annual practice.
What is the difference between number 25, who is recognized for their high achievement, and number 26, who is not? Actual rankings within the Top 25 are fairly meaningless, as many of us are only decimal points apart from one another. The students holding the ranks directly above and below me only have thousandths of points apart. The range of grades across the 25 spans less than four percentage points apart. There is a tiny, miniscule line drawn between the Top 25 students, and other academically successful students.
While these 25 students deserve to be recognized, there are other students who were one percentage point or less apart that go undiscussed. We shouldn’t be making arbitrary distinctions as to who is and is not acknowledged.
The vast majority of colleges/universities distinguish their students using the Latin honors system with categories of cum laude (honors), magna cum laude (greater distinction), and summa cum laude (greatest distinction). There is no limit to how many students are in each category, they are simply placed based on the GPA standards for each tier. This system ensures that all students who meet the criteria of high honors, or exceed this standard, are acknowledged without exclusion.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t celebrate the accomplishments of students. I am not saying that I am not proud of making it into the Top 25. What I am saying is that there is a better way to truly recognize academic achievement and showcase the large number of bright, hard working students at M-W.
This practice has been adopted by some high schools in the Northeast and has been promoted by the Great Schools Partnership, a nonprofit organization working to enforce equitable educational practices in the New England area.
“Class ranking only recognizes a comparatively small number of students—the valedictorian, salutatorian, and top-performing percentiles—whose performance has been measured against other students, rather than the same consistently applied learning standards,” said the Great Schools Partnership.
It has been proposed by teachers, faculty, and even Principal Soto, that Monroe-Woodbury do this as well, but no action has been taken. Many claim an aversion to change and the preference of a smaller group for simplicity to be the cause of this.
“There really is no significant difference between the 25th and 26th student, and it breaks my heart that I cannot honor the achievements of more students,” said Principal Soto, “I would love to see a Latin honors system in the coming years, but I think a lot of people [in the district] aren’t a fan of change.”
According to staff members, the Top 25 was once the Top 20, which was once the Top 10. We are making small steps towards progress, but there are still changes to be made.
I am not ungrateful for the commendation I have received from my school and community. I am not saying that we shouldn’t celebrate the accomplishments of students. I am not saying that I am not proud of making it into the Top 25. What I am saying is that there is a better way to truly recognize academic achievement and showcase the large number of bright, hard working students at M-W.
