October 4, 2007

To:       Citizens of District 86

From:    Dr. Nicholas Wahl, Superintendent of Schools

            Dr. Claudia Geocaris, Principal, Hinsdale South High School

            Mr. Kevin Pobst, Principal, Hinsdale Central High School

Re:       Information About Class Rank Gathered from Comparable High School Districts

This fall we have initiated a process to investigate the impact of class rank. Presently, every student is assigned a “rank” position based on their Grade Point Average (GPA). In our district, students are given both a "weighted" and a "non-weighted" rank. Those ranks are communicated to colleges on the transcript.  Several comparable high school districts in our area have eliminated or modified their process of assigning rank because their research has indicated that some students can be disadvantaged by the reporting of rank.  To provide information to our students, parents, and faculty regarding the impact of eliminating the assignment of rank, we have gathered documents from several of those schools.  Links to those documents are listed below.

We will be hosting an “Open Meeting” for anyone in the District 86 school community who would like to discuss the issue of assigning rank, on October 22 at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will be held at Hinsdale South High School in the Black and Gold Room.  Any student, parent, or community member is welcome to attend and to ask questions or to express their thoughts on this topic. Whether you are able to attend the meeting or not, we encourage you to read the following documents.

The documents (.pdf format) are as follows:

Prior to the “open meeting” on October 22, if you have questions or comments, please contact Dr. Claudia Geocaris at 630-468-4210 or Mr. Kevin Pobst at 630-570-8210. 

D86_RankExploration_Report-final.pdf

Class Rank Transition Plan D86 Board of Education Approved Policy