<p>I like the “cum laude” approach. My D’s private school didn’t weight for honors or AP and didn’t rank. Out of class of 200, the valedictorian was a girl who didn’t take any honors or AP classes, nor was she national merit eligible. My D and many others took every honors and AP class offered in order to prepare for college (and because the better teachers were in those programs) not because of any designation at graduation. My D is very humble and not normally at all competitive in that way but it really bothered her (and me) that the valedictorian had not gone through classes of the same rigor that the honors kids did. There were 6 national merit finalists in that group of honors kids who weren’t valedictorian. To watch those honors kids work so hard and see someone not of the same academic caliber standing as valedictorian was unfair in my mind.</p>
<p>IMO her school, and others I’m sure, bow to the political parental pressures to spread the wealth so to speak of the honors and awards, I’m sure at least in part because private school parents pay good money for their kids to attend. Part of the let’s give everybody on the team a trophy mentality.</p>