The decision by the Anne Arundel County school board last week to eliminate class rankings and change the criteria for valedictorian and salutatorian was made for all the right reasons.
Class rank has been criticized for fostering an unhealthy competitive environment in high schools, placing unnecessary stress on students, and pressuring students to give up their interests in order to take rigorous classes. It is a system, its critics say, that puts some students at a disadvantage because of persistent achievement gaps or English fluency.
We have argued against these changes because we think they will fail to achieve the stated goals. But the decision has been made. That’s why we have a school board, currently a mix of elected and appointed members.
Well, at least until 2020.
That’s when the county completes its shift to an elected Board of Education. It’s a pretty good bet that class rank will be the among many campaign issues.
Consider the split on the board about this issue.
Melissa Ellis, student member Josie Urrea, Dana Schallheim, Terry Gilleland and Eric Grannon voted to do away with the system.
Bob Leib, Julie Hummer, Michelle Corkadel and Candace Antwine voted against the change.
Urrea will be replaced July 1 by a new student member. The seats held by Gilleland, Grannon and Leib will be up for election a year from now.
The positions of each faction aren’t easily defined by political labels, as there is a mix of Republicans and Democrats on both sides. That means this split is nonpartisan, purely driven by a disagreement over the best policy for county schools.
It seems highly likely, given the 5-4 split on this change, that some school board candidates in 2020 will campaign on reversing it.
Leib’s comments, arguing that healthy academic stress is meaningful and good, perfectly sum up exasperation some feel about this change:
“Heck, why give grades at all?”
Under the new policy, high schools will continue to honor those who qualify for Latin Honors. But students who receive summa cum laude recognition — a weighted GPA of 4.3 or higher — can apply to be considered for valedictorian and salutatorian after completing seven semesters of high school.
Then, the valedictorian and salutatorian would be selected based on character, leadership, scholarship and service — all pillars of the National Honor Society.
It is a subjective criterion that is bound to create widespread criticism of the choices.
We’re not sure how meaningful any of this stuff really is. We do think schools should teach students how to deal with stress and competition because that is part of life. Removing class rank won’t eliminate stress or close the achievement gap.
Colleges don’t take class rank into consideration. Valedictory honors are an antiquated idea that already has seen its significance shrink.
In setting aside the recommendation of Superintendent George Arlotto, the board made a decision that clearly can be reversed by a future board. That also holds true for future decisions on curriculum or spending or construction priorities.
The real consequence of this decision is that it defines the role elective politics could play for future boards now that Anne Arundel County has connected it to votes on school policy.
