L-C School Board approves new class-ranking criteria By Kevin Boneske For The News-Chronicle Beginning with the Class of 2006, the Luxemburg-Casco School District will be implementing new criteria for selecting its top academically ranked high school students. Acting upon the recommendation of high school principal Steve Okoniewski, the L-C School Board on Monday night approved the new procedure, which will incorporate a "weighted" grade scale to provide additional grade points for students who enroll in an Advanced Placement course. Okoniewski said the addition of AP courses - essentially classes with college-level material taught at L-C to allow students to earn college credit - has created a need to revise the selection criteria of top ranked students, which were last updated in 1999. He noted the change would reward students for taking more difficult courses, while now some students might not want to take them because the courses could hurt their class ranking and chance for a scholarship. "Kids are avoiding them because they're scared to death," Okoniewski said. After studying numerous school districts in the state, Okoniewski said two committees at L-C - composed of students, teaching staff, the guidance department and the high school administration - favored the new guidelines which would "most equably provide an order of class ranking." The new ranking guidelines first take into consideration the accumulative grade point average through the first seven semesters of a student's high school career. That varies from the previous guidelines by incorporating a weighted grade scale for all AP courses "taught or accepted by Luxemburg-Casco High School." The "multiplier" for weighted grades would be 1.2, instead of 1.0. As a result, an "A" grade in an AP course would be worth 4.8 grade points, instead of the present 4.0, while a "B" grade would be worth 3.6 grade points, rather than 3.0. However, a student's grade point average would not include grades in physical education, tutoring, any cooperative class, or serving as editor of the yearbook/newspaper or as an office aide. In the event two or more students have the same cumulative grade point average after seven semesters, then a second determining factor to be looked at for class ranking would be the total number of credits accumulated through seven semesters. But this also wouldn't include credits earned in physical education, tutoring, any cooperative class, or serving as editor of the yearbook/newspaper or as an office aide. If necessary, a third factor used as a tie-breaker would be the highest ACT composite score with the test results recorded prior to the graduating classes' eighth semester. A fourth tie-breaking factor, if needed, would be the highest PSAT score with the test results also recorded prior to the graduating classes' eighth semester. To be considered for any graduating honors or scholarships based on class rank, the new selection criteria require students to attend L-C for least four semesters of their high school careers. In addition, transferring students would not be able to accumulate more weighted grades than the maximum number taught at L-C High School. High school guidance counselor Fred Yagodinski said L-C now has three AP classes, but will be offering five in the next school year.