To alleviate students’ stress, NEISD and other school districts will end class rank for people below the top 10 percent. This change will take effect when current 7th graders become freshmen.
“Some kids put pressure on themselves a lot and sometimes we see really negative effects on them,” Mr. Martinez said. “We want them to enjoy high school and we want them to work hard.”
Mr. Martinez believes that changing the rank system will have a positive effect on the students who might be at the lowest rank.
“Who wants to be number 288 out of 288?” Mr. Martinez said. “That doesn’t help a kid. It doesn’t make them feel better about themselves, so why throw that at them?”
This has been a topic of discussion for many students. For junior Andres Bueno, the change is good, but he believes this will actually increase stress among competitive students.
“If this was applied now, I’d say I’d be a little bit more stressed,” Bueno said, “but I think it’d be good because it would probably push me to make sure that I’m in that top ten percent.”
Bueno can agree with Mr. Martinez about the students who are at a lower rank.
“I think it will cast out anxiety,” Bueno said. “If you’re below the ten percent, no one will judge you if you have a really low rank.”
Mr. Martinez hopes this will be, overall, a positive change for students.
“Hopefully [the outcome] will be positive.” Mr. Martinez said. “Hopefully students look at it with the idea that it’s worth trying to take harder courses, and the opportunity to work at it and do their best.”
