Talbot, Margaret,
Best in Class. Margaret Talbot. - New Yorker, 2005. - SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Article 17, Institutions, 1522-3256; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Originally Published: Best in Class, June 6, 2005; pp. 38-43.
"At one time, it was obvious who the best students in a school were. But now the contenders for the valedictorian title, especially at large, top-performing suburban high schools, are numerous and determined. Many schools offer Advanced Placement courses--and sometimes honors and International Baccalaureate classes--extra weight when a student's G.P.A. is calculated, so that an A earns 5.0 points, versus 4.0 in a regular class. Students who fill their schedules with A.P. classes, as the ambitious ones tend to do, can end up with G.P.A.s well above 4.0....Students at the top of their class...are often separated by one thousandth of a decimal point." (NEW YORKER) The author examines the intense competition to be named valedictorian, with some students even "suing their way to the top," and reports that many schools are now doing away with the tradition of naming a top student.
1522-3256;
Academic achievement
Actions and defenses
Valedictorians
AC1.S5
050
Best in Class. Margaret Talbot. - New Yorker, 2005. - SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Article 17, Institutions, 1522-3256; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Originally Published: Best in Class, June 6, 2005; pp. 38-43.
"At one time, it was obvious who the best students in a school were. But now the contenders for the valedictorian title, especially at large, top-performing suburban high schools, are numerous and determined. Many schools offer Advanced Placement courses--and sometimes honors and International Baccalaureate classes--extra weight when a student's G.P.A. is calculated, so that an A earns 5.0 points, versus 4.0 in a regular class. Students who fill their schedules with A.P. classes, as the ambitious ones tend to do, can end up with G.P.A.s well above 4.0....Students at the top of their class...are often separated by one thousandth of a decimal point." (NEW YORKER) The author examines the intense competition to be named valedictorian, with some students even "suing their way to the top," and reports that many schools are now doing away with the tradition of naming a top student.
1522-3256;
Academic achievement
Actions and defenses
Valedictorians
AC1.S5
050