Lake Co. school district to eliminate class ranks

The Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board has endorsed a proposal to eliminate class ranks at both schools.

The move, designed to increase college admissions, also eliminates the traditional valedictorian and salutatorian honors for the graduating seniors with the top averages at each school.

The change will be effective for all students starting with the Class of 2011. Seniors in the Class of 2010 - students who now are juniors - will be allowed to choose whether to include their class rankings in their high-school transcripts.

Current seniors in the Class of 2009 still will be ranked by grade-point average.

Proponents say class ranks can hurt the college-admission chances of students who've earn good grades but haven't cracked the upper echelon of their graduating classes.

"Somebody with a 4.0 average, which is a straight-A average, might wind up being 30th in the class, which makes no sense," District 128 board member Judy Sugarman said. "It levels the playing field for kids. They're not going to be penalized for coming from an excellent school."

Removing class rank from transcripts also requires universities to consider a student's whole high school experience, such as extracurricular and community activities, Sugarman added.

Stevenson, Barrington, Naperville North and Naperville Central are among the suburban high schools that have eliminated class rankings.

Some schools have gone the other way. Mundelein High School reinstated valedictorian and salutatorian recognitions in 2004 after a nine-year absence.

District 128's switch followed more than a year of internal study. Public forums about the plan were held recently, too.

The administration did not need board approval to make the change, but the board voiced support for the concept anyway at a meeting this past Monday.