1. Honors Designations for Graduates
Tabitha Broadway, Director of Secondary Education
Board of Education Meeting
June 5, 2017

2. In January 2015, the North Carolina State Board of Education passed GCS-L This policy makes drastic changes to our current practice of calculating Grade Point Average for students who entered high school in

3. Changes in North Carolina Board Policy Affecting Students Who Enter High School in and Later
10 Point Grading Scale
A student who makes a 90 in a course earns the same quality points toward Grade Point Average as a student who makes a 100.

4. Changes in North Carolina Board Policy Affecting Students Who Enter High School in and Later
The differentiation in additional weighting between courses is smaller:
Standard to Honors is now .50, not 1.0
Honors to AP is now .50, not 1.0

5. Changes in North Carolina Board Policy Affecting Students Who Enter High School in and Later
AP courses and Career and College Promise courses will now carry the same additional weight toward Grade Point Average

6. Implications of these Changes
These changes will complicate the practice of academic recognitions that rely upon class rank.
Many of our current 10th grade students have identical Grade Point Averages.
It is likely that these identical Grade Point Averages will remain and perhaps even increase, making it impossible to identify one student as Valedictorian and one student as Salutatorian.

7. Implications of these Changes
The following represents the current status for 10th grade students in our district:
We have 3 traditional high schools each with 3 students tied at the #1 rank.
In all 6 of our traditional high schools, we have multiple students tied at the next GPA rank.
School A has 4
School B has 4
School C has 10
School D has 2
School E has 14
School F has 2

8. Rank
Student #
Name
GPA 1.
840732
Adams, Hunter Ryan
4.4583
963660
Loflin, Erin Benson
836084
Sturdivant, Madison Tate 4.
837121
Baker, Tabitha Octavia
4.4167
838173
Broadway, Mason Lee
870348
Cantwell, Brianna Marie
835872
DeWald, Tori Jewel
842379
Grondy, Maggie Jeanne
840032
Long, Maurice Jordan
Miramontes, Sara Elizabeth
831664
Mull, Amanda Gail
576743
Musgrave, Trevor Garrett
899567
Nichols, Adam David
899563
Nichols, Allie Emerson
838500
Owen, Julia Nicole
835883
Whitley, Megan Blair
831640
Young, Elizabeth Marie
18.
838202
Carrick, Drake Ward
4.375
837084
Hedrick, Emory Abbigail

9. Implications of these Changes
Information was collected from 46 North Carolina districts. The following summarizes this information:
DCS is one of three districts (out of the 46) that recognizes Valedictorian/Salutatorian and Latin honors (Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude).
23 of the 46 districts no longer recognize a Valedictorian or Salutatorian
18 of the 46 districts recognize a Valedictorian and Salutatorian, but some reported they are reviewing their policies as well due to the changes from the state level

10. Additional Honors Recognitions for Graduates in DCS High Schools
NC Scholars
CTE Academy Honors Cords
Finance
Microsoft IT
Medical Science
Architecture & Construction
Biotechnology
Spanish Honor Society
National Honor Society
National Technical Honor Society
National Art Society
Governor’s School
JROTC Honors
Tri-M Music Honors
Mu Alpha Theta

11. 6.8.4 DIFFERENTIAL WEIGHTING OF HIGH SCHOOL COURSES

12. Thank you. Request Approval for Policy 6.8.4 Revision at
June 29, 2017 Board of Education Meeting
Thank you.
The vision of Davidson County Schools is to graduate
all students future ready and globally competitive.
Board of Education Meeting
June 5, 2017