NC Board Votes to Stop Naming Valedictorians Because It’s ‘Unhealthy'
[North Carolina School Board Votes to Stop Naming
Valedictorians Because It’s ‘Unhealthy’ by Tré Goins-Phillips The Blaze] "High
school valedictorians and salutatorians may be no more in Wake County, North
Carolina, schools after the school board decided the titles are “unhealthy” for
students.
High school principals will be barred from naming
valedictorians and salutatorians — titles that go to the two seniors with the
highest grade-point averages — starting in 2018, according to a new policy
unanimously approved by the Wake County school board.
Should the policy be fully implemented, in 2019, a new
system will be put in place that recognizes seniors by Latin titles, such as ***
laude, if they have a weighted GPA of 3.75 or higher.
“We have heard from many, many schools that the
competition has become very unhealthy,” school board chairman Tom Benton told
the News & Observer. “Students were not collaborating with each other the way
that we would like them to. Their choice of courses was being guided by their
GPA and not their future education plans.”
The new rule, officials say, will allow students to
take courses they are more interested in, rather than classes that just serve to
boots their GPA. Final approval of the policy could come June 7 and, if it’s
approved, state law will still require Wake County schools to record class rank
based on transcripts.
By moving to a Latin honors system, which includes
summa *** laude for students with a 4.25 GPA or higher and magna *** laude for
students with a 4.0 to 4.249 GPA, more students will be recognized for academic
achievement, instead of singling out only a couple.
“We think it’s much healthier to set high expectations
and high requirements for magna *** laude,” Benton said. “The students now have
a target that they can shoot for and if they achieve that they’re recognized for
that.”
Currently, most Wake County high schools name a
valedictorian and salutatorian, who often make speeches at graduation. Benton
confirmed the board is not considering using both the Latin and valedictorian
and salutatorian systems.
Critics have accused the board of trying to be
“politically correct” with the change, but Benton said that just isn’t the case.
“I love competition,” he asserted. “But there are
competitions that you can measure very correctly and they do spur people on to
bigger and better things.”
“There are competitions that are much harder to have
objective measurements and grading falls into that,” he continued. “You’ve got
the subjectivity of grades being determinate.”"
North Carolina School Board Votes to Stop Naming Valedictorians Because It’s
‘Unhealthy’
NC Board Votes to Stop Naming Valedictorians Because It’s ‘Unhealthy'