Dive Brief:
- Millard Public Schools, near Omaha, NE, has decided to eliminate a top 10 ranking so students are less incentivized to load up on Advanced Placement courses simply to benefit from weighted GPAs.
- District Administration reports the district will instead honor high performers with cum laude, summa cum laude and magna cum laude designations, and guidance counselors will encourage students to take classes that better fit their interests and aspirations.
- West Chester Area School District near Philadelphia eliminated its own ranking system to take some pressure off students who may be discriminated against by college admissions officers for placing lower in the rankings, even if their school is especially competitive and high-achieving.
Dive Insight:
Admissions at the most elite universities are getting increasingly competitive as more students go to college, and the preparation process for high schoolers can be intense. Some parents place their children into activities as early as preschool because of its potential impact on later college applications.
Getting students to be reflective about what they are actually interested in can help them long-term, however. Personalized learning efforts in schools force students and teachers to be intentional about academic pathways. Instead of following general definitions about what should happen when, students — sometimes through personalized learning plans — get tailored programs that work best for them.