Graves High Replacing Graduation Designations

The Graves County High School Class of 2017 will be the school’s first to recognize outstanding academics with three levels of cum laude honors, rather than the traditional valedictorian, salutatorian, and honor graduates.

Principal Matthew Madding cited the proliferation of courses that award dual credit for high school and college and the weighted grade point scale as key factors in the decision. That decision actually was made in the fall of 2013 in anticipation of that year’s freshmen completing their high school courses this spring.

According to a press release from Graves County Schools, dual credit course options have increased across America in recent years. Students throughout the Jackson Purchase and beyond take advantage of the opportunity the courses provide to fulfill requirements for both high school and college at Murray State University and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Graves High’s own Advanced Placement courses also offer dual credit. They’re designed to be more challenging than traditional high school courses in the same subjects. Teachers’ assignments are comparable to those in college courses as well.

"So the race to valedictorian and salutatorian forced students to take pretty much all of our AP classes," Madding said. "We tried to adjust it where we had a requirement that students had to take some AP classes or a dual credit equivalent of that class. We really wanted to open the door for kids to be able to take college classes not only on our campus through the AP (program), but also on the college campus.

When the high school changed its honors graduation policy in 2013, students who took AP classes were scored on a five-point, weighted GPA scale instead of a four-point scale. Therefore, the school established a policy to “grandfather in” Graves High students already enrolled at that time so those already on track for valedictorian and salutatorian honors could complete the track on which they’d started high school. Madding said although some students preferred the traditional valedictorian and salutatorian tracks, most students have been receptive to the change. The number of valedictorians over the years had ranged from one to five per year.

Now the school will honor graduates with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher as "Graduates of Distinction." Within that designation will be summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude. With one month to go before graduation, Madding estimates 70 students among approximately 300 graduates will earn the title of “Graduates of Distinction.”

In order to earn "Graduates of Distinction" honors, students must take a minimum of four AP or dual credit classes. Those classes must include at least one in language arts or social studies and one in math or science. The minimum math requirement stipulates that the student must complete pre-calculus or AP statistics. The student also must earn the status of college or career ready.

To earn Summa cum laude status, the student must meet those requirements and earn a 4.0 GPA with no grade below a B. Magna cum laude status comes from meeting those same requirements except a minimum 3.75 GPA with no grade below a C. To earn Cum laude status, the student must meet those standard requirements, a minimum 3.5 GPA with no grade below a C.

This year’s commencement begins in the Eagles’ Nest Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Friday, May 19.