CLASS RANKINGS

 

            Any student to be considered for valedictorian or salutatorian of his/her class shall have been in attendance for one year immediately preceding graduation and meets the high school graduation requirements as specified in the Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators (Bulletin 741) in order to be eligible for such honors.  The selection of students for valedictorian and salutatorian, as well as other honors and awards, shall be in accordance with established School Board Policy.

            The following procedures and guidelines have been established for the ranking of students for honors:

  1. Semester grades shall be used for class ranking. In accordance with district policy, class ranking will be determined by the average of semester grades. The grade point average shall be averaged out to four decimal places and shall not be rounded off.
  2. College credit shall not be included when averaging grades for class ranking.
  3. State approved summer school courses and state approved correspondence courses shall be included when averaging.  This includes the grades made during the regular school session, excluding grades in college courses.
  4. Technical college courses shall not be included when averaging grades for class ranking.
  5. The student who completes the prescribed high school graduation requirements at mid-term, thereby, graduates at mid-term.  If a student has been in attendance for one year immediately preceding the mid-term graduation, then this student shall be considered a candidate for Valedictorian as well as other honors and awards.
  6. The student(s) earning the highest grade point average shall be named Valedictorian.
  7. The student(s) earning the second (2nd) highest grade point average shall be named Salutatorian.
  8. In situations where there is a tie for the positions of either Valedictorian or Salutatorian, the persons shall be named as Co-Valedictorians or Co-Salutatorians.
  9. If Co-Valedictorians are named, a Salutatorian shall still be selected.
  10. Students in the Top Ten (10) shall be the top ten students except where there is a tie for tenth (10th) place.
  11. In accordance with Louisiana Office of Financial Assistant guidelines, TOPS eligibility will be determined by the average of final grades.

Example: If there is a tie for any given place: third (3rd), the next position fourth (4th)

would be omitted.  In cases where there is a tie for tenth (10th) place, both students would be placed in the Top Ten (10); thus allowing eleven (11) students in the Top Ten (10).

The following procedures and guidelines shall be used as a tie breaker for students with identical grade point averages, who are in competition for scholarship awards:

  1. The Standard ACT composite scores for these students shall be compared.  The student with the highest score shall be named the recipient.
  2. In the event that the students’ Standard ACT composite scores are identical, the students’ grade point averages in mathematics, English, science, social studies, foreign language (if applicable) shall be averaged to four decimal places.  The student earning the highest average shall be named the recipient.

Policy Manual: File IHC

Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. $17:81, 17:3042.31; Board Minutes 3-19-85, 5-7-85, 12-3-92, 2-16-93