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Committee tweaks class-rank language to reflect youth-apprenticeship timing and explores DPI waiver for tie-breakers
Summary
The policy committee discussed clarifying honors-point eligibility tied to 450-hour youth apprenticeships (allowing summer completion for state certification but requiring completion by seniors' last day to receive the honors point) and supported pursuing a DPI waiver to align local tie-break rules with district practice.
Staff presented proposed clarifications to the district's class-rank and honors-point policy to better account for youth apprenticeships and how the district determines top-ranked students.
A staff member (speaker 6) told the committee that youth apprenticeships require 450 hours over a calendar year and that the proposed language would require students to complete all 450 hours and final paperwork by the senior's last day to earn the honors point. ‘‘Now the way we used to have it'...if you don't finish your youth apprenticeship by the senior's last day, that's you don't get the grade. There's it doesn't count. But ... this change of language is now allowing our students to still earn the honors point as long as they finish before their last day of their senior year, but also for those students who may onboard in January ... they can still continue into the summer earning those hours towards the 450,'' the staff member said.
Why it matters: Committee members flagged the workload implications (450 hours is substantial) and the tension between awarding honors points for rigorous work-based experiences and ensuring letter-grade minimums reflect academic rigor. Members debated whether honors-point thresholds should require a minimum letter grade or remain benchmark-based.
DPI waiver explanation: Staff also explained that the district can apply to the Department of Public Instruction for a waiver to align the district's local lottery/tie-break methodology with state class-rank rules so the district can base top-5% and top-10% determinations on its local system rather than strict state GPA calculations.
Committee action and next steps: The committee discussed and generally supported the proposed language changes to allow summer completion for state certification (while clarifying honors-point timing) and the idea of applying to DPI for a waiver. No formal board adoption or DPI decision was recorded in the transcript.
Remaining questions: Committee members asked staff to refine the specific grade/threshold language (C vs. B for honors points) and to return with final suggested policy wording for board consideration.
