AISD Considers Tweaking Class Rank System
The Austin school board wants to improve its class ranking system. Photo by KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Texas state universities automatically accept students ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. But does this guarantee that the best students are getting in? The AISD Board of Trustees has a policy change on its agenda tonight that aims to change the ranking.
The board will consider cleaning up the policy on how students’ grade point averages are calculated, which effects where students stand in the class ranking.
Right now, grades from a set number of classes in core subject areas are assigned points and averaged. Students are ranked by that grade point average.
The new policy would benefit students that take classes beyond the minimum requirements. If the policy is approved, all of their coursework would count towards their GPA – but only their highest grades would count toward class rank. For example, if only two classes of foreign language are required, but a student takes three and makes two As and a C, only the two As will count in their ranking.
The school board will meet tonight at 7 at AISD headquarters.
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