RISON - Rison High School Principal Letitia Walker gave the Cleveland County School Board a preview of some of the changes the school will be making to bring it in compliance with new guidelines that will be implemented under the state’s LEARNS Act.While many of the changes are not immediate, Walker told the board during its regular monthly meeting that the school will be working toward implementing those changes.One change will be the school will offer virtual classes to students who want classes that are not available on campus. She told the board the student’s schedule could be changed to accommodate those requests.Also, students who attend failing schools will now have an opportunity to take classes at Rison if their school does not offer that class. For instance, if a school does not offer agri/vo-tech classes, those students could take those classes at Rison. In addition, 8th graders will soon have the option to take “weighted” classes that could apply toward their high school credits. “Weighted” classes are courses that go beyond regular grade-level curriculum, such as those offered through Advanced Placement. When a course is “weighted,” an A in that class is given a higher numeric value for grade point average (GPA) purposes than an A in a regular class, which can boost class rank and scholarship competitiveness. As a result, Walker said they may have to go grading scales instead instead of the GPA system currently used.Due to those type of grading changes, some school districts in the state have already eliminated valedictorian and salutatorian designations, and gone with varying degrees of honors for graduation.Other BusinessIn other business at Monday night’s meeting:• Superintendent Davy King told the board that they may have to add a teacher next year based on current enrollment projections. He said the district curren...
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