Depew High School has historically used the traditional system of class ranking. This results in\r\nour selection of valedictorian, salutatorian, and third in class who all have a role in our\r\ngraduation ceremony. In addition, pictures of our top 12 are displayed in our foyer for the first\r\nfew weeks of school until they are replaced by September’s students of the month.
\r\nThroughout this school year, we have been exploring the idea of transitioning to a Latin Honors\r\nsystem. Latin Honors is a proficiency-based learning system that has three different levels of\r\nacademic distinction. It recognizes all students who exceed the different achievement\r\nthresholds, therefore reducing or eliminating student competition with one another. You may\r\nhave heard Latin Honors referred to as a laude system. This has commonly and historically been used in colleges or universities.\r\nThis proposal has been discussed with our teachers in faculty meetings, has had their input\r\nthrough a google survey in which there was overwhelming support and only 3.9% opposition,\r\nand visited in great detail within our DHS Academic Advisory Council over the first semester of\r\nthis year.
\r\nI was able to meet with Alden High School Principal Kevin Ryan and Counselor Amy Delzer. They shared their work and resources and were extremely accommodating and supportive of our efforts. Their first Latin Honors system graduating class was 2022. Their feeling is that it was a tremendous success as it celebrated the efforts of many more of their students than the\r\ntraditional ranking system. They also have a methodical system that obtains input from all\r\nstudents and faculty to select a winner of the Crystal bulldog award in which that recipient\r\ngives a speech at graduation.\r\nThere was research and conversations that occurred with other local districts that have already implemented Latin Honors and are or intend on transitioning to this system.
\r\nWith the assistance of our CIO, Lee Hoffman, we were able to retrieve 5 years of the cut scores\r\nfor the top 10%, 20% and 40% of our senior class. We were then able to average those out and\r\ndetermine our proposed levels of distinction:
\r\nSumma Cum Laude 96-100\r\n
Magna Cum Laude 93-95.99\r\n
Cum Laude 90-92.99
Moving forward, we ask that you as a Board of Education support our efforts in transitioning this system. If supported, we would:
\r\n- Revise our Administrative Regulation 7220R.
- Start with the Class of 2027 so that we would not impact anyone who is currently in the traditional ranking system.
- Change our school profile to demonstrate to postsecondary institutions that we are not using class rank.
- Develop a plan to recognize the Latin Honors students and select a speaker for graduation. This can be done over a four-year period for June of 2027.
- Hold a Parent Information Night for our current 8th grade students or anyone else who interested within our school-community.
Resources:
\r\nDepew Administrative Regulation 7220R 2014\r\n
Attached
NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) Policy and Advocacy Position Paper 2019\r\nhttps://www.nassp.org/wp-conte...
\r\nNational Association for College Admission Counseling State of College Admission 2019\r\nhttps://nacacnet.org/wp-conten...\r\n\r\n
\r\nGreat Schools Partnership Academic Recognition and Latin Honors 2016\r\nhttps://www.greatschoolspartne...
\r\nPoint-Counterpoint – Class Rank – Author Unknown
\r\nhttps://cdn5-ss7.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_92164/File/Departments/Math/Point%20-\r\n%20Counetrpoint.pdf
\r\nWilliamsville Central School District presentation Class Rank – Past, Present & Future 2017\r\nhttps://cms5.revize.com/revize...\r\ns/2016-17/Class%20Rank%20Presentation%206-13-17.pdf
\r\nAlden High School Achievement Recognition 2021\r\nhttps://www.aldenschools.org/c...\r\n.District%20News%20Letter.pdf
View the PowerPoint Presentation here: https://5il.co/1qu0o