High schools could do away with valedictorian and salutatorian titles under a proposal approved Thursday by an Elgin School District U-46 advisory panel.
The U-46 Instructional Council also recommended counting physical education classes toward the student grade point index and changing the weight of grades given in honors classes.
The proposal is designed to encourage high school students to explore challenging courses without fear of getting a bad grade that would lower their grade point and eliminate them from the valedictorian race.
“That puts undo pressure on kids,” said Steve Klein, the district’s director of gifted programs.
According to the proposal, students getting A’s and B’s in honors classes would continue to receive one more point toward their grade point than students receiving the same grades in regular classes. The change comes in stripping that extra point from honors students who receive a C.
The Instructional Council forwarded its proposal to Supt. Marvin Edwards.
