4710.1 Grade Weighting/Class Ranking

(This policy replaces previously approved Board of Education Policy #5127.1)

Grade Weighting

Beginning in September of 2009, the weighting of grades for Brentwood High School students will reflect the following:

Course Level	Weight
Regents classes	1.0
Honors classes	1.1
Advanced Placement classes	1.2

 

During the 2008/09 school year, the District’s Weighting and Ranking Committee reviewed all secondary courses and assigned appropriate weights. This recommendation was presented to the Board of Education and approved at their monthly meeting on March 19, 2009.

Class Ranking

Class rank shall be determined by the cumulative quality point weighted average. Beginning in September of 2009, the above-listed weights (1.0, 1.1, and 1.2) will be used to calculate class rank.

Determining Valedictorians and Salutatorians

The District will continue its practice of determining a Valedictorian and Salutatorian in both the Ross and Sonderling Centers. This computation will occur after the completion of seven (7) semesters by the students.

The students ranked #1 to #20 inclusively, in each building, will form the source of candidates for the Valedictorian and Salutatorian computation.

1. For the 2009/2010 and the 2010/2011 school years (Senior Class of 2010 and Senior Class of 2011), the following procedure will be followed.
   
   In order to remove any negative impact associated with elective or sequence in the class ranking process, the top twenty (20) students for each building (Ross Center and Sonderling Center) will be re-ranked according to the following procedure:
    
   1. The transcripts of each of the above-mentioned students will be reviewed using the graduation requirement of Part 100 of the Commissioner’s Regulations
       
   2. The ranking formula will be re-applied to the top twenty (20) students in each building using the course selection criteria listed below. A separate Quality Point total will be determined for these students. The new course weights (1.0, 1.1 and 1.2) will be applied.
       
      1. 3.5 English courses
      2. 3.5 Social studies courses
      3. 3 Math courses
      4. 3 Science courses
      5. 1 Health course (* if every student takes this course by the second semester of their Junior year)
      6. 1.75 Physical Education courses
      7. 1 Elective course of the student’s choice
          
   3. The student receiving the highest Quality Point total by the method listed above shall be the Valedictorian in each respective building (Ross and Sonderling).
       
   4.  The student receiving the second highest Quality Point total by the method listed above shall be the Salutatorian in each respective building (Ross and Sonderling).
       
2. Beginning September of 2011 (Senior Class of 2012) and moving forward, the following procedure will be followed.
   1. To determine class rank, and ultimately the Valedictorians and Salutatorians, the procedure listed below using the new course weights (1.0, 1.1 and 1.2) will be applied
      1. The top twenty students in each building (Ross and Sonderling) will be re-ranked at the end of the fall semester of their senior year.
      2. Following the graduation requirements listed in Part 100 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, each student’s transcript will be reviewed and the ranking formula re-applied.
      3. Each qualifying graduation sequence will receive a separate Cumulative Quality Point Weighted Average (CQPWA). Using the results of these calculations, the highest possible (CQPWA) will be determined for each student.
      4. The student with the greatest number of Quality Points will be the Valedictorian.
      5. The student with the second highest number of Quality Points will be the Salutatorian.

In order to avoid confusion in the ranking system, which may be caused by students transferring to Brentwood High School, the following guidelines will be followed:

1. Transfer students must be in attendance at Brentwood High School for their full junior and senior years in order to be considered candidates for Valedictorian and Salutatorian status. The full junior year will be interpreted as meaning that transfer students will have registered in Brentwood High school no later than the end of the first marking period of their junior year.

2. All transfer students who attend Brentwood High School will be considered for class ranking. These transfer students will be ranked on the basis of our criteria as applied to the sending school’s course description and the student’s transcript record.

 

 

Approved by the Board of Education: 12/17/09

Download the Grade Weighting/Class Ranking PDF