With honors

“A high school senior with a 3.9 grade point average at Hillcrest High will walk across the stage at graduation this June with high honors.

But if that same student graduates from Mauldin, J.L. Mann or Riverside, there would be no special designation.

Greenville County schools set their own criteria when determining who graduates with honors and who doesn’t.

Some schools don’t recognize honor students at all.

It’s something that some parents want changed, saying that if a grade point average is good enough to earn honors at one county school, it should be good enough to earn honors at all.

Mauldin High Principal Ann Miller said she agrees with parents who think there should be consistency across the district, although she said it should be studied thoroughly.

Other principals say schools should have the flexibility to tailor the criteria to their student populations.

“You need to know your clientele,” said Bill Roach, principal at Berea High.

He said some schools offer more Advanced Placement classes than others, making it possible for their students to earn higher GPAs than students at other schools.

Under a uniform grading scale adopted by the state in 2000, students receive numeric grades instead of letters.

They also get extra credit for taking honors and Advanced Placement classes.

What it takes to become an honor graduate at Greenville County

Therefore, Roach said, it wouldn’t be fair to hold a student whose school offers only a handful of AP classes to the same standards as a student whose school offers 15 or 20.

The issue comes at a time when a growing number of schools nationwide are abandoning class rank – from naming valedictorians and salutatorians to honoring students for where they fall academically within the class – altogether.

About 85 percent of public high schools rank classes, according to a National Association of College Admissions Counseling survey. Only 18.5 percent of private schools use class rank, the same survey said.

Individual schools’ honor graduate designations are different than the academic honors diploma awarded by the state.

The state award is given to all students who graduate with an 85 average, and who score a 710 on the SAT verbal test or a 690 on the SAT math test. Eighteen of the student’s 24 credits must be in college prep or higher level classes. A student automatically gets the special diploma if they score a 1400 on the SAT.

Some Greenville County schools have already notified students they’ll be graduating with honors in June even though several weeks of school remain. That’s because they determine those students by grades earned through the first semester of their senior year.

That means that if a student brings their grade up during the last semester, it’s too late for them to qualify for honors.

“We can’t wait until the end of the year because the year is over on the day of graduation,” said Kathy Jones, guidance counselor at Woodmont High.

But Hillcrest High, which initially determines honor graduates by their cumulative grade point average at the end of seven semesters, orders extra honor graduate cords, worn with the cap and gown at commencement ceremonies to designate honor graduates, in case some qualify at the very end, said Alice Coleman.

“They’ve earned the designation so they should get it,” she said.

Students who are members of the Beta Club or National Honor Society also wear special cords at graduation.

Wade Hampton High determines its honor graduates after seniors take their final exams for their second semester classes, although valedictorian and salutatorian are determined after seven semesters, said Angela Massingille.

“We make them work until the end,” she said.

At some schools, students have to work harder now than in years past to earn honors.

Some schools have increased the needed grade point average because of escalating GPAs under the state’s uniform grading scale.

In 2000, the state adopted a uniform grading policy to level the playing field for students across the state competing for LIFE scholarships.

Under the policy, students receive numeric grades instead of letters and get extra credit for taking honors and Advanced Placement classes.

A student who takes all AP classes and earns 100s in each can end up with a GPA of 5.87.

A student who takes all college prep or tech prep classes and earns 100s in each will earn a 4.87 GPA.

J.L. Mann Principal Susan Hughes said her school has increased the required GPA from 3.75 to 4.0.

The school usually has around 25 to 30 honor graduates.

“We think it’s important that students who strive for academic excellence are recognized,” she said.

Last year, Mauldin High also increased its GPA to 4.0, Miller said.

The increase was needed because the old honors graduate designation “wasn’t as significant” with the new grading system, she said.

“Even if you make a C in an AP class, you could look like an honor grad,” she said. “Yes, you want them to get the rigor, but you want them to earn the grades as well.”

At Carolina Academy, seniors with GPAs of 3.5 or higher graduate with honors.

“It used to be a 3.0, but we wanted it to be a little more,” she said. “We wanted it to mean more.”

Blue Ridge names a valedictorian and a salutatorian but doesn’t recognize other honor graduates.

“We want every student who graduates to be recognized and feel special about their accomplishment,” he said. “It’s a time of celebration for the whole class. We try not to put the spotlight on a few.”

Riverside, a school that sends 98 percent of its graduates onto some type of higher education, doesn’t designate honor graduates either, said Lynda Collins, senior guidance counselor.

“I don’t know why the others do,” she said.

In this year’s senior class of 270 students, 131 have GPAs of 3.5 or better after seven semesters, she said.

Contact Cindy Landrum at 679-1237 or clandrum@greenvillejournal.com.

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