Letters

After reading “District May Drop Class Ranking” [May 16], I found it surprising that though they are considering a change, no one spoke out on why, and what it means to the academic success of students. Change for the sake of change is never good. Tell us why we need this change and how it makes for greater academic success, not less.

Though it has become a popular trend (removing class ranking), there does seem to be a pause. Many colleges are now requiring standardized test scores for admission. MIT, Yale, Dartmouth College and Brown are among the most recent. The question: Why are they now requiring it? The answer lies in that they have found that students of similar GPA have not done as well as those who score higher on standardized tests, and standardized tests actually are a better barometer than GPA.

Additionally, many want to get rid of class rank but don’t say why. So, why would you get rid of something when you can’t answer why you need to get rid of it?

Creating a healthy competitive balance is paramount to academic success. We all hope our children find an intrinsic value in learning, but we also know, as human beings, when less is expected what the outcome will be.

Superintendent Jeff Nichols mentioned “gaming the system”? I’m not sure what that means. My perspective is that students know what is expected, and they can act accordingly or disregard and understand the consequences.

What you really seemed to be saying: By eliminating class rank, you want to create equitable outcomes — something DEI proponents have tried to unleash in academia that has been an unmitigated disaster. The reality is, you have already given your students equal opportunities; the outcome is up to the individual.

I don’t think we would adopt that philosophy regarding sports. Why would we do it academically? I can’t imagine not keeping score in a basketball game, or taking out the nets in a soccer field, or not counting runs in a baseball game.

Making our children understand healthy competition, disappointment and the importance of competing and understanding where you rank with your peers helps you make healthier educational decisions in the future. That doesn’t mean academic success leads to economic success, but those who challenge themselves and aren’t afraid of failure, stepping outside their boundaries, will always flourish where others fail.

So, empower your students, challenge them to step outside their comfort zone and expect them to succeed, and good things will happen.

In closing, I hope the board will challenge the committee to come up with viable reasons why they want to drop class ranking, and what does that do to achieving academic success.

Thomas M. Jones

Sag Harbor