The tradition of recognizing the top scholar of a class based solely on grade point average (GPA) has gone by the wayside at one county school.

The Glen Lake Board of Education voted Monday night to do away with its system of ranking students, which had been used to annually to identify the class valedictorian and salutatorian.

“Ranking will no longer be reflected on our student transcripts,” secondary Principal Kevin Kelly said. “However, a school administrator or the guidance counselor may use a performance percentile in any letters of recommendation they may send.”

A year ago, Kelly appeared before the board with a proposal for a grading system that gives more weight to Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP courses follow specific guidelines and have the possibility of allowing students to get college credit. While AP classes provide students with rigorous academic expectations and help prepare them for college, the current system offered no incentive to those who could jeopardize a stellar GPA by taking the more difficult advanced courses.

The move to the weighted system was thought to help identify the top students in a class. Six valedictorians were recognized among the school’s Class of 2008, leaving no space for all at the podium during the valedictory address. Last year, there were four top scholars recognized at Glen Lake’s graduation ceremony. This year, it’s likely to be three.

“That’s the fewest we’ll have since I’ve been here,” Kelly said.

Among the graduation photos that line the hallways of the school are plaques that list the “top 10” students of each graduation class.

But not everyone favored the proposal, which some believed could attract students who were not capable of succeeding. That led to the formation of a committee comprised of administrators, parents, teachers and students which recommended the move to abolish the ranking.

“Bottom line, it was a compromise between the parents and the teachers,” said Cherie Hawkins, a parent who served on the committee. “It wasn’t the valedictorian issue; ranking could affect whether a student is accepted at the school of his/her choice … we’ve removed that harm. Now they stand on their own.”

College applications often require that students list their rank in the class. When no rankings are issued, they will now fill in the appropriate box and more information about their “standing” can be made available in a letter of recommendation from the counselor or the principal.

“Admissions officers will be forced to look closer at transcripts in making their decisions,” Kelly said.

Other county schools use straight GPAs to determine who is recognized as valedictorian and salutatorians — without regard to course selection. The only exception in Leland where the valedictorian must have completed four years of math and science, which would include Algebra II, chemistry, physics and environmental science along with four years of English. Beginning with the class of 2011, the classes will also be required of all students in the state in order to graduate.

With the Class of 2010 becoming known as the last to recognize a valedictorian at Glen Lake, what will take its place?

Kelly said the committee had a brainstorming session when it last met and suggested that different levels of academic achievement could be recognized by issuing “honor” cords; designating high achievers as graduating magna or summa cum laude; and designating students graduating with “honors” or “high honors” or including “future plans” of the student after their name is read at the ceremony.

The commencement speaker could be determined based on GPA or GPA plus ACT score, peer election, an essay contest or it could be the student council president, class president or a member of the faculty.