OPRF Seeks Feedback on Possible Elimination of Class Rank
Oak Park and River Forest High School have set two forums for a discussion on the possible elimination of class rank.
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Following the lead of about two dozen other area high schools, Oak Park and River Forest High School is considering following the trend and discussing the elimination of the class rank system.
Hinsdale Central and New Trier are two examples of schools cited by OPRF administrators as schools that have changed how they report class rank.
On Patch: Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South Vote to Eliminate Class Rank
With possible elimination in the future, OPRF is seeking the input of parents, and looking to start a discussion about possible changes with two forums to be held starting at the end of January.
The first opportunity for parents to learn more and share their thoughts will be Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. A second forum will be held on Feb. 4 also at 7 p.m. Both forums will be held at the high school, located at 201 N. Scoville Ave.
School officials said the primary reason for considering the elimination of class rank is to provide more opportunities to students when they apply for college. Under the class rank system, although a student may have a high grade point average, they could still rank below the 50th percentile of a highly competitive class.
Removing class rank, they argue, would lead colleges to consider a student's overall educational background, including test scores and experiences, rather than a single number provided by rank.
Any changes to the system would not go into effect until the 2014-2015 school year's senior class.
Another website containing information about class rank and what colleges look for in its absence, is CollegeBoard.com. You can read their overview on the subject here.
Toni Kincanon
1:35 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
As an alum of this wonderful institution, I feel we are doing our younger generation a great disservice. Does anyone realize that 1 in 25 teens attempt suicide in this country??? Perhaps could it be that from very early on we do not expose our children to any disappointments in life? Everyone gets a trophy, everyone needs to be invited to a birthday party or NO ONE, we just play for fun - no score are just a few examples. For crying out loud that is not reality in life, there are set-backs and disappointments and today's youth doesn't know how to deal with it because they have never been exposed to disappointment or let-downs. What will be the motivation to strive to be the best or to work hard --- does anyone else see that we are doing a disservice to our children??? Think this policy from every view not just "let's all feel good" perspective which is becoming quite detrimental IMO.
just a guy speaking the truth
8:22 am on Sunday, January 13, 2013
sounds like oprf is trying to hard to be politically correct! like the athletic director years ago wanted to remove the scoreboards from athletic events !!!OPRF HAS GONE DOWNHILL WHAT A CROC OF LIBERAL B. S . in life you have to compete in all areas of life and you will be ranked by your peers. Get over it AND USED TO IT !!!
JFB
12:13 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
If OPRF removes class rank, OPRF will be required to send colleges the OPRF profile which contains GPA percentiles (i.e. top 10% GPA is 3.6-4.0; 10-20% GPA is 3.3-3.6 and so on...). The colleges just extrapolate the students estimated rank based on this data. The colleges still use class rank. It is just less accurate. Some student may end up with an estimated rank that is higher than actual rank. Some students will end up with an estimated rank that is lower than actual rank. Why would OPRF want to have a student’s application data be less accurate?