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Board approves DPI waiver to use local Laude ranking for Wisconsin Guarantee admissions
Summary
The board approved a waiver asking the Department of Public Instruction to allow the district to report local Laude‑based rankings instead of straight GPA for the state’s Wisconsin Guarantee top‑percent reporting.
The Waunakee Community School District Board approved a local waiver to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction asking permission to report its Laude‑based ranked lists — rather than a straight GPA ranking — for the Wisconsin Guarantee preferred admissions lists.
District administrators described the Laude system as the district’s established method of ranking students for honors and graduation recognition. They said Laude rankings incorporate GPA thresholds plus additional points for successful completion of high‑rigor courses defined in the high school course catalog, and that the system aligns with local practices used for 15 years. Administrators told the board a waiver is required because the Wisconsin Guarantee requests a ranked top 5 percent and top 10 percent by traditional GPA at the conclusion of students’ junior year.
Administrators said Waunakee typically sends substantially more than a strict top‑5 percent to UW–Madison and that the requested waiver would harmonize university reporting with local honors practices rather than materially changing students’ admission prospects. The board conducted a public hearing on the waiver and then voted to approve the waiver request.
Board members asked clarifying questions about how many students the top‑5 percent represents in a typical class (administration estimated roughly 17 students) and about the requirements students must meet for the Wisconsin Guarantee, including applying under the early admissions timeline and meeting campus‑specific requirements such as math prerequisites.
The board’s approval authorizes district staff to submit the waiver application to DPI and continue the required administrative steps for reporting ranked students under the Laude system.
