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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Rank amateurs

Another school system seems ready to succumb to the "competition is bad for students" sickness:

ST. JOHN | The Lake Central School Board is following the lead of the School Town of Munster in exploring the elimination of class rank.

Board Vice President Nancy Gray said she's been trying for many years to make "something like this happen."

Gray asked for the topic to be added as an agenda item and for permission to communicate with Munster school officials about research. She also would like to contact colleges and universities.

"I was told the minute admissions people get grades that are weighted, they unweight them," she said.

"I can't agree more that the competition has gotten crazy and that the kids aren't taking classes they want to take because it will bring down their grade-point average."

[. . .]

The committee found students ranked in the middle are harmed by rank on college applications and scholarships. Schools that have done away with it have seen a significant increase in acceptance rates and scholarship money offered.

Research also suggests students select classes that will raise GPA and focus more on grades than on learning.

Nationally, roughly half of all high schools no longer report rank.

Half. I hadn't realized we were that far gone. Sorry about your lack of preparation for the real world, kids. You will soon discover that life sorts you, and you will be ranked wherever you go, whether you like it or not.  You'll just have to make do with on-the-job training for the reality of competition.

Comments

tim zank
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 8:19am

Well, on the bright side, since the gubbermint has pretty well agreed to wipe everyones collective arse and provide all of us with the "help" we need to NOT pay for houses, cars, insurance etc, at least these kids will be prepared for a long lazy spoonfed non-competetive ride through life.

Mediocrity reigns supreme!

Bob G.
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 10:20am

Well said Leo...

Sounds like a "plan", Tim...however insidious and counterproductive it might be.

B.G.

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