Valedictorian and Salutatorian Eligibility Residency Early Graduates Class Rank Calculation Courses Not Included Transfer Credit The valedictorian and salutatorian shall be the eligible students with the highest and second highest ranking as determined by the District s class ranking procedure described in this policy and who complete the Recommended Program or the Advanced/Distinguished Achievement Program. To be eligible for valedictorian or salutatorian honors, a student must have been continuously enrolled in the District high school for the two years preceding graduation. A student s class ranking shall be determined within the graduating class of the school year in which the student completes all requirements for a diploma, regardless of the number of years the student is enrolled in high school. For ranking purposes, a school year begins on the first day of school and ends on the last day of the regular school year. Class rank calculation shall be determined as follows: 1. Class rank for senior students shall be calculated by averaging semester grades earned in grades 9 12. Class rank shall be calculated for active students at the end of the final grading period. 2. All graduates (early, spring, and summer) shall be calculated into the final class rank for the academic year. 3. Class ranking shall be determined by accumulated grade points divided by the number of courses for which final grades were given. Class ranking and grade point averages (GPAs) shall include all coursework in grades 9 12. 4. Grades for high school courses taken at a junior high or middle school campus that count for high school credit shall be included in the GPA and shall count toward class rank. 5. The first failing grade in a class is a part of the numeric grade on a student s transcript, GPA, and class rank. If a course is retaken and passed, the numeric grade and credit shall be entered on the student s transcript. Both the failing grade and the passing grade shall be recorded on the transcript, included in the GPA, and used in determining class rank. 6. In the event that a student retakes a course for which credit has been awarded, the first and second attempt shall count toward GPA and class rank. Grades earned as pass/fail and credit for courses not recognized by TEA shall not be included in the calculation. Grades transferred from other public and accredited private schools shall be counted for class honors, subject to residency requirements for valedictorian and salutatorian. Grades transferred DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 1 of 9 -X
as numerical averages shall be accepted at face value. Grades transferred merely as passing or failing shall be accepted for credit or for no credit, as indicated on the transcript, but shall not be used in determining class rank. Grades transferred from other schools that cannot be classified shall be excluded from the student s GPA. Letter grades transferred from other public and accredited private schools shall be recorded as follows: Conversion Scale A 95 B 85 C 77 D 72 F 65 Conversion of public and accredited private school letter grades using + (pluses) and - (minuses) shall be subject to the following conversion: Submitted Grade District Numeric Equivalent A+ 100 A 95 A- 92 B+ 89 B 85 B- 82 C+ 79 C 77 C- 75 D+ 74 D 72 D- 70 F 65 The conversion shall also apply to correspondence courses, credit by examination, or other grades awarded by this method. Conversion of public and accredited private school holistic grades to the District numeric equivalent: DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 2 of 9 -X
Submitted Grade District Numeric Equivalent 4 95 3 85 2 75 1 65 Submitted Grade District Numeric Equivalent P 85 F 65 Conversion Scale from 100-Point Scale to 4-Point GPA Scale The following conversion scale shall be used to convert a grade based on a 100-point scale to a four-point GPA scale or vice versa: Average Based on 100-Point Scale Average Based on 4-Point GPA Scale 100 4.00 99 3.93 98 3.87 97 3.80 96 3.73 95 3.67 94 3.60 93 3.53 92 3.47 91 3.40 90 3.33 89 3.27 88 3.20 87 3.13 86 3.07 85 3.00 84 2.88 83 2.75 82 2.63 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 3 of 9 -X
Average Based on 100-Point Scale Average Based on 4-Point GPA Scale 81 2.50 80 2.38 79 2.25 78 2.13 77 2.00 76 1.80 75 1.60 74 1.40 73 1.20 72 1.00 71.80 70.60 Credits Transferred from Out-of-Country or Other Using 10- Point Scale Course grades shall be recorded according to the final transcript analysis approved by the District academic compliance officer. An independent transcript analysis agency may be consulted if a student s transcript needs to be translated and/or retrieved from an out-of-country school. Credits obtained through this agency shall be accepted by the District as valid state graduation credits. [See EIE(REGULATION)] District Grade Grade Based on 0 10 Scale 100 10.0 99 9.9 98 9.8 97 9.7 96 9.6 95 9.5 94 9.4 93 9.3 92 9.2 91 9.1 90 9.0 89 8.9 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 4 of 9 -X
District Grade Grade Based on 0 10 Scale 88 8.8 87 8.7 86 8.6 85 8.5 84 8.4 83 8.3 82 8.2 81 8.1 80 8.0 79 7.9 78 7.8 77 7.7 76 7.6 75 7.5 74 7.4 73 7.3 72 7.2 71 7.1 70 7.0 P 6.9 P 6.8 P 6.7 P 6.6 P 6.5 P 6.4 P 6.3 P 6.2 P 6.1 P 6.0 59 5.9 58 5.8 57 5.7 56 5.6 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 5 of 9 -X
District Grade Grade Based on 0 10 Scale 55 5.5 54 5.4 53 5.3 52 5.2 51 5.1 50 5.0 49 4.9 48 4.8 47 4.7 46 4.6 45 4.5 44 4.4 43 4.3 42 4.2 41 4.1 Note: The District recognizes a 6.0 or 60 as a passing grade with supporting documentation from the sending school (for grades 1 12). If a student s transfer grade is between 60 and 69 and a numeric grade is required, the grade value of a 70 shall be recorded. Ties Weights In cases of a tie in weighted grade averages among the top ranking students, the following methods shall be used to determine who shall be recognized as salutatorian or valedictorian: 1. The weighted grade average shall be computed to a sufficient number of decimal places until the tie is broken; or 2. The student with the most weighted courses shall be considered first. Grade weights shall be assigned to grades earned by high school students for purposes of class ranking, in accordance with the following scale: Course Weight Points Per Semester Advanced Placement (AP) *5 Pre-AP 5 Dual Credit 10 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 6 of 9 -X
Course Weight Points Per Semester Academic Concurrent Courses 10 International Baccalaureate (IB) 10 Pre-IB 5 PLTW (Engineering, Biomedical, and Computer Science) Regular 0 Below 70 in any weighted course 0 *Five points shall be granted per semester to a student for taking the appropriate AP examination corresponding to the AP course in which the student is enrolled. **Five points shall be granted per semester to a student for taking and scoring a 6 or better on the appropriate PLTW End-of-Course examination corresponding to the PLTW course in which the student is enrolled. **5 Dual Credit / College- Level Course Grade Scale and Conversation Students entering grade 9 who enrolled in Pre-AP courses in middle school shall receive weighted grade points for those courses counting for high school credit. Weighted courses transferring in from outside the District shall be granted points according to District weights. Only transfer courses designated as Pre-AP, Pre-IB, AP, IB, dual credit, concurrent enrollment, or identified as honors in place of a verifiable Pre-AP, Pre- IB, AP, IB, or dual credit course shall be considered for weighting. Weights for courses transferring from outside the District shall be posted on the student s official transcript or other official documentation. All weighted courses shall be subject to review every three years to ensure that the course content merits advanced course status. The conversion and grading scale below shall be used to convert grades for college-level courses taken in the District to college letter grades (i.e., A, B, C, D, or F) and shall be listed in the dual credit course syllabus. The grading scale used by El Paso Community College shall be as follows: A 90% 100% B 80% 89% C 70% 79% D 60% 69% DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 7 of 9 -X
A 90% 100% F 0 59% If El Paso Community College provides a number grade to the District, the number grades shall be recorded as follows: EPCC Grade District Conversion 95 100 95 100 94 94 93 93 92 92 91 91 90 90 89 89 88 88 87 87 86 86 85 85 84 84 83 83 82 82 81 81 80 80 79 79 78 79 77 78 76 78 75 77 74 77 73 76 72 76 71 75 70 75 69 74 68 74 67 73 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 8 of 9 -X
EPCC Grade District Conversion 66 73 65 72 64 72 63 71 62 71 61 70 60 70 59 0 65 If El Paso Community College provides only a letter grade to the District, the letter grades shall be recorded as follows: EPCC Grade District Conversion A 95 B 85 C 77 D 72 F 65 DATE ISSUED: 7/6/2018 ADOPTED: 9 of 9 -X