United ISD Expands Parameters to Acknowledge Top Graduates
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Feb 8, 2022, 0 Comments
Courtesy Alex Meyer,
(Laredo, Texas)-Beginning this year, the United Independent School District (UISD), will supplement the end-of-year high school graduation senior ranking process and honorary acknowledgments that are accorded at graduation ceremonies. The district is utilizing a three-tier system that will allow more students to be recognized for their academic excellence. The two students who earn the highest academic honors will continue to be assigned the traditional designations of Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Students who do not earn the title of Valedictorian or Salutatorian will be eligible to earn the designation of Honor Graduate.
To qualify as an Honor Graduate, the student must have satisfied the graduation requirements under the State of Texas’s Foundation High School Program, completed the corresponding requirements of the Distinguished Level of Achievement, and must have completed at least one endorsement. All three must be satisfied to earn the Honor Graduate Designation. Additionally, the calculations to determine the cumulative grade point average (GPA), academic titles and recognitions will now be completed at the end of the third nine-week grading period of the senior year. Once all calculations are completed, United ISD will apply the aforementioned three-tier system, which aligns the District’s recognition process with the same methodology utilized in colleges and universities across the nation and internationally.
Students shall be recognized as Honor Graduates according to the following criteria:
Valedictorian -Highest Cumulative GPA
Salutatorian – Second Highest Cumulative GPA
Summa Cum Laude – Overall GPA of 100 or higher
Magna Cum Laude – Overall GPA of 95-99
Cum Laude – Overall GPA of 90-94
“By utilizing the three-tier system, we can recognize many more students for their academic excellence as they fit into grade-point-average spectrums. It allows UISD to recognize student academic excellence that might otherwise be overlooked,” said Melissa C. Ramirez, Director of Guidance and Counseling.
