Academic Ranking In School: A Benefit Rather Than A Burden

According to Jennifer Robison of Gallup Education: “Many believe that GPA-based ranking has benefits for students, saying that it celebrates high achievers, positions them as role models, encourages broader courses of study, identifies top picks for college recruiters, and reduces the importance of ACT and SAT scores. Most of all, say advocates, it motivates students to perform”. Thers on the contrary, have feared that being academically identified leaves students alienated from the actual purpose of school: to learn and to grow. The fear of failure and humiliation has abolished the notion of one to willingly comprehend.

These opposing ideas leave people to question whether or not academic rankings really are necessary and are of importance. Is it really a benefit or that of a burden? Academic ranking in schools renders an essential role in one's academic and personal development regarding work ethic and motivation as well as reflecting one's character identity and personal abilities.

Academic ranking enhances a student's academic and personal development as it also enhances their motivation to work productively. Academic ranking is considered as a competition of GPA’s and performance among students. This competition can be seen as a degrading concept of humanity. One could correlate it as a factor for ego deflation and loss of motivation. This may lead one to believe that it also triggers anxiety and mental health instability. All of these situations are dependent on how a person interacts with and interprets competition. Academic ranking is a competition which with emotional control, motivates and develops determination, rather than producing mental health instability. Competition does not only help the students to develop determination and have motivation, it also gives the students an attribute of Diligence. Dr. Craig Harrison of Aut Millennium notes, “With appropriate instruction, competition encourages people to reflect on their behaviour under emotionally intense situations and develop strong emotional intelligence, accordingly. Control and competence are correlated – when you feel in control of your emotions, your preference to work hard and take on new challenges to learn increases.” In addition to this, having High grades and high ranking does not just motivate the achiever himself, but also motivates his or her peers. Just as Russel Simmons’ once said: “Surround yourself with people smarter than you”, achievers and rankings should also surround oneself with like-minded people. Simmons meant that having intelligent people surround you corresponds to learning, motivation, and inspiration. Having achievers in our environment give us inspiration and motivation to boost our cooperation and coordination with others and with ourselves to attain and explore our true potentials and capabilities

Identifying a student's ranking constructs one's character identity regarding work ethics and proper conduct, as well as constructing a stable future. Nowadays, the mentality that grades do not measure one’s intelligence has intensified and circulated to the very foundation of educational institutions. Yes, grades are not an accurate measure of one’s intelligence, but it does show a student’s sense of responsibility. According to Shane Mankerian, Asbarez, 2019, More often than not, Valedictorians are not the smartest kids in the class. It is those students who are hardworking and armed with work ethics who claim the title of Valedictorian. Grades, therefore, is not a measurement of one’s intelligence, but that of a Character identity. Character identity is a reflection of a student’s personal development concerning work ethic and proper conduct. Students with proper working efforts and ethics often receive high marks compared to those who rely on gifted intelligence. Moreover, one’s marks and ranking are also affected by one’s learning style. Students are often more comfortable to learn by either visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or linguistic methods. Those who understand and identify the learning style they are comfortable with are those likely to top their class. There really are a lot of factors that greatly affects the outcome of a student’s marks, another of which is proper Time management. A survey conducted by Noria Corporation concluded that 87% of students responded that with better time management and organization skills, the better grades they recieve. Having good scores and GPA does not only reflect one’s characteristics, it also opens a door to a lot of opportunities. Selective private colleges tend to emphasize more on personal statements and essays, teacher and counselor recommendations, leadership experience and the individual talents of applicants, while other institutes select from GPA and class rankings. In both large and small colleges alike, a student's grades and rankings in college-preparatory courses continue to be the most significant factor in the admission decision, followed by scores on standardized admission tests and grades in all courses.

Having academic ranking instigates auspicious experiences by exploring the students' unique abilities. The unique abilities of a student are identified through their standing in different learning areas. Howard Gardner of Harvard University originally distinguished seven distinct intelligences. According to Gardner, this theory, surfacing from research, 'documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways.' In greater information, the theory suggests that everyone is able to express themselves in linguistic, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial visualization, musical understanding, the use of the anatomical form to resolve issues or to create objects or ideas, an understanding of other people and an understanding of ourselves. Where one differs is in the potency or effectiveness of these intelligences and the ways in which such intelligences are called upon and interact with each other to undergo varying tasks, solve several problems and progress in various areas. Hani Morgan (2014) supports Gardner's theory. Students are not only ranked through their GPAs and overall performance, there are also class rankings that give recognition to those top performers in different learning areas. Having class ranks helps students to identify their own unique talents and capabilities that reflect on the multiple intelligence they possess. 

Having academic rankings does not just show where students are best at, it also shows where they are weak, what struggles them. As a student realizes his or her own strengths and weaknesses, it creates a motivation to pursue abolishing those weaknesses, transforming them into mere scars of forgotten struggles, and eventually recreating those incapacities into talents and abilities. In addition, distinguished course rankings does not only give emphasis on what multiple intelligence a student has, but also observes a student’s interests. With this observation, one might easily identify careers they want to pursue. Determining the strengths of a student gives them orientation of the different careers that correlates with their interest and capacities. Through this, their natural talents would not only satisfy and entertain them, it also would also build a path to financial stability. The fruitful use of one’s talents leads to a successful and a happy future.