Gifted, Talented, Unranked - Does It Matter?
Numerous schools have moved away from publishing numerical class rankings. Why have they done so and what are the consequences? Let's examine some facts and opinions.
I have no children in the local school system and therefore no proverbial “dog in the fight.”
Why do we rank order students? Major arguments in favor include to help differentiate students on college applications, to improve learning, to encourage competition, and to reward high performers.
How do colleges determine whom to admit absent numerical class rankings? The Washington Post examined the trends. Some schools have broadened the category of valedictorian to include all students above a certain GPA, others eliminated the valedictorian designation, and some retain the traditional class rankings. Tufts Dean of Admissions Lee Coffins notes that difference in GPA methodology, varying rigor of grading, and fewer students with formal GPA data make grades a “disappearing metric.” At Dartmouth College, only a third of students admitted came from schools with numerical class ranking. Administrators recognize unevenness among academic standards and grading rigor between institutions. Schools vary widely in promoting weighted versus unweighted (AP classes, honors classes) GPA. This isn’t unique to education. There used to be a saying that a Marine Major (O-4) equalled a Navy Captain (O-6).
At some schools, students may take ‘easier’ courses to boost their class rank and GPA. At others students may avoid classes they want to take that might lower their GPA.
Does ranking students numerically improve learning? Thomas Guskey in Education Week evaluates the impact of class ranking on learning. They emphasize the differing purposes of selecting talent versus developing it. One argument against class ranking that some parents have shared is that mediocre teaching helps stratify student achievement. If your child receives (or you perceive) inferior instruction, they fare worse. The institution fails the child instead of the reverse.
What does class ranking do for the individual student? Guskey notes, “with the possible exception of the top-ranked student, class rank also does nothing to enhance students’ sense of self-worth, their confidence as learners, or their motivation for learning.” He references work by Covington that “ranking students may diminish student motivation.”
He also describes “unhealthy competition”, loss of friendships over class rankings, students ‘gaming the system’, and even lawsuits by parents believing the system has wronged their children.
“Class rankings promote competition.” Is that beneficial, harmful, or both? Measuring the beneficial effects of competition is difficult; identifying problems, like cheating among high school students is easier. Students justify cheating by arguing that it is so widespread that it levels the playing field. High-performing high schools like Lexington High School have instituted measures to mitigate student stress. Students with academic stress are twice as likely to experience depression.
USAToday reports high levels of adolescent stress from the American Psychological Association. Clusters of teen suicide have occurred across the USA (including in Newton, MA) with “pressure to succeed.” More teenagers die from suicide than cancer, heart disease, and AIDS. Madeline Levine reports in the podcast, “22 percent of high school girls had symptoms of clinical depression” in affluent communities” in epicenters of academic achievement. “There are significant academic pressures, significant amounts of competition...”
Levine notes many pressures during adolescence that the “amount of time to learn coping skills...has been squeezed out...in search of ‘effortless perfection’.”
The benefits of being the valedictorian confer to only one student. Gifted and talented students who excel academically, athletically, in the arts or other areas generally are recognized regardless of whether they are named valedictorian or deliver the valedictory address. Is there irreparable harm done to a student or to a family whose child is ‘denied’ the valedictorian status? Is our community better off, worse, or no different absent class rank?