<p>UCBALUM…I think that you have hit on part of the problem. Not only do all HS’s not ranks the same, but many are not fair. </p>
<p>Example at DS school that DOES rank- he is taking DE courses this year. Those grades do not count for, or against his GPA or class rank. He has been #1 in his class until this semester (spring of senior year). Since he is taking DE, he will not be Val, might not be Sal, depending on how one student does. If they counted the DE courses, he would be Val. I realize that this was put in place to prevent decreasing a students GPA, but it should not penalize a good student’s GPA!! </p>
<p>Other schools give points to students based on +/- grades. Some are on a 5 point scale before they add weight for honors/AP…Some schools do not add weight to AP/honors at all. So those taking the easiest classes and teachers are rewarded. </p>
<p>Unless all schools figure out a way to fairly administor rank across the US, ranks are not fair or a clear indicator of a students ability. So I for one applaud dropping the class rank as an indicator. Then who give the speach? Someone chosen based on their personality by the students, not their academic achievements? No easy answers.</p>