• NEISD Rank in Class Policy


  • Rank in Class (Students entering high school in the fall of 2020 and previous years)

    • Required courses for graduation, up to a maximum of 26 credits, taken in grades 9-12, through the end of the seventh semester will be used to calculate class rank.  This will include credits for elective courses required for the:
      • Foundation High School Program-Distinguished Level of Achievement (FHSP-DLOA) regardless of what graduation program is pursued. 
    • Elective courses that produce the highest weighted grade will be used to calculate rank.  Class rank will be based upon a weighted grade average (WGA).
    • Weighted grade averages (WGA) are determined by multiplying each semester grade of a ranked course by a rank factor and computing an average. The rank factor recognizes differences in level of difficulty between Advanced Placement, Honors, and Regular coursework. 
    Course Level
    Rank Factor
    Advanced Placement (AP), and OnRamps/ Dual Credit AP
    1.29
    Honors, GT non-AP, and OnRamps/Dual Credit non-AP
    1.15
    Regular
    1.00

     

    • The weighted grade average (WGA) determines the rank in class. The student earning the highest WGA is ranked number one and all others take the following positions in increasing numeric order. Ties in rank will be broken using the most courses taken given a weight of 1.15 and/or 1.29

    • Students are ranked with the group of students with whom they entered grade nine, called their cohort. 

    • Official class standing will be issued to students following the sixth and seventh semesters of high school. Class rank is determined using a weighted system that supports academic achievement and rigor.

    • Students are designated within a range of their cohort as follows: top five percent, top ten percent, top fifteen percent, top twenty percent, first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter.  The position of each student is reported as “number (___) out of (___) students” in their cohort.

    • Summer school courses will be included in the calculation of class rank, including high school credits earned in the summer after grade eight.
    •  Courses that do not count for class rank include those that are taken: 
      • More than once
      • For pass/fail
      • Through credit by exam
      • In middle school
      • For which no credit is available 
      • Second semester of the final year
      • During summer foreign study

     

    Overall Weighted Grade Average / Honor Graduates

    • Students achieving high standards of academic excellence shall be recognized at the graduation ceremony as honor graduates based on the following criteria:
      • Completion of the Foundation High School Program – Distinguished Level of Achievement (FHSP-DLOA) for students who enter HS in 2014-15 and thereafter;
      • Accumulation of a minimum of 52 semester classes of coursework by the time of graduation; and
      • Overall weighted grade average (WGA) for all courses taken in high school through the end of the seventh semester is greater than or equal to 90.  The rank factor listed above is used to determine the overall weighted grade average.
    • Honor graduates meeting the criteria specified above shall be designated as follows:

     

    Honors Graduate Designation
    Cumulative Grade Average
    Summa Cum Laude
    100+
    Magna Cum Laude
    95-99
    Cum Laude
    90-94

     

    Rank in Class (Students entering high school in the fall of 2021 and beyond)

    • Required courses for graduation, up to a maximum of 26 credits, taken in grades 9-12, through the end of the seventh semester will be used to calculate class rank.  This will include credits for elective courses required for the:
      • Foundation High School Program-Distinguished Level of Achievement (FHSP-DLOA) regardless of what graduation program is pursued. 
    • Elective courses that produce the highest weighted grade will be used to calculate rank.  Class rank will be based upon a weighted grade average (WGA).
    • Weighted grade averages (WGA) are determined by multiplying each semester grade of a ranked course by a rank factor and computing an average. The rank factor recognizes differences in level of difficulty between Advanced Placement, Honors, and Regular coursework.

     

    Course Level
    Rank Factor
    Advanced Placement (AP), and OnRamps/ Dual Credit AP
    1.15
    Honors, GT non-AP, and OnRamps/Dual Credit non-AP
    1.08
    Regular
    1.00

     

    • The weighted grade average (WGA) determines the rank in class. The student earning the highest WGA is ranked number one and all others take the following positions in increasing numeric order. Ties in rank will be broken using the most courses taken given a weight of 1.08 and/or 1.15. 
    • Students are ranked with the group of students with whom they entered grade nine, called their cohort.
    • Official class standing will be issued to students following the sixth and seventh semesters of high school. Class rank is determined using a weighted system that supports academic achievement and rigor. 
    • Only students in the top ten percent will receive a rank.
    • Summer school courses will be included in the calculation of class rank, including high school credits earned in the summer after grade eight. 
    • Courses that do not count for class rank include those that are taken: 
      • More than once
      • For pass/fail
      • Through credit by exam
      • In middle school
      • For which no credit is available 
      • Second semester of the final year
      • During summer foreign study

     

    Overall Weighted Grade Average / Honor Graduates 

    • Students achieving high standards of academic excellence shall be recognized at the graduation ceremony as honor graduates based on the following criteria:
      • Completion of the Foundation High School Program – Distinguished Level of Achievement (FHSP-DLOA) for students who enter HS in 2014-15 and thereafter;
      • Accumulation of a minimum of 52 semester classes of coursework by the time of graduation; and
      • Overall weighted grade average (WGA) for all courses taken in high school through the end of the seventh semester is greater than or equal to 90.  The rank factor listed above is used to determine the overall weighted grade average.
    • Honor graduates meeting the criteria specified above shall be designated as follows:

     

    Honors Graduate Designation
    Cumulative Grade Average
    Summa Cum Laude
    100+
    Magna Cum Laude
    95-99
    Cum Laude
    90-94