What to do about Deciles?
What should be done, if anything, to protect the achievements of those who worked hard under the decile system? Should we remove this credential of achievement this year, or should we phase it in? Should we ‘grandfather’ current UHS students that have been operating under the decile system already?
Is it a sensible option for decile reporting to be at the students’ option? Can this provide admission benefits to all students, or does it defeat the purpose of removing decile reporting?
How much additional GPA banding information should we provide in our UHS school profile? How much is enough? How much is too much and counter-productive?
What else should we do, if anything, to recognize our top performers? Over half of US high-schools recognize groups of graduating students based on percentile rankings. For example, should we recognize graduates with the top 5% GPAs as “high honors”? We are on the path to making a positive change. I am grateful that this issue was brought forward, and for the committee’s excellent work. We need to finish the work, and find a solution that works for all students, and preserves the high standards that have served UHS so well. I believe that such a solution is very much in reach.