What's a good minimum GPA for a chapter?

admin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:24:20 -0400

Junior Honor Society Students

Part-Time Students and NHS Eligibility

KPojeta — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:17:26 -0400

National Honor Societies always seem to struggle with eligibility. Whether it's the students that are just below the minimum GPA or students that fall short on the other three pillars. A more rarely thought of case is that of "part-time students". Whether the student is part time at the local high school and part time at the career center, or at the high school and local community college, or whichever unique combination you find, there is an answer, although in some situations, that answer is about as clear as mud!

The case we were working with involved a student who spent most of his time at a school in the district that was NOT his actual "home high school". In this district, most students with special needs were all bussed to one of the high schools (we'll call this Other School), regardless of their home school. The adviser at Other School called to say that this particular student met the minimum GPA eligibility requirement for that school and would he be included in the school's NHS candidate roster even though he wasn't officially a student there?

Honor Society Advisers

Who selects NHS/NJHS members?

KPojeta — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:16:45 -0400

In speaking with a school a few weeks ago, I found that their selection process was a bit off. Instead of using a Faculty Council for selection, the Faculty Council (FC) gave recommendations based on student forms, then the NHS Adviser selected the students that would be inducted. For schools that hold chapters with NHS/NJHS, this process is incorrect and the appropriate way to select members is spelled out in the National Constitution.

In Article IX, Section 3, it states that the "selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council." How do you get to that point though? Which students are "voted on"?

Students that are enrolled at your school are initially divided into two groups - those that meet the minimum GPA requirement and those that are not. The National Constitution mandates a minimum 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (and provides explanations for other grading processes), however, your school's chapter bylaws can require a higher (NOT LOWER) GPA. Based on a survey we did in Michigan in 2004, many Michigan schools have more exclusive GPA minimums - 3.25 and 3.5 were dominant. Some schools even used a 3.75! Once you have your list of students that meet the GPA minimum, that is the only group of students that will be invited to seek membership in your chapter.

Students that meet the GPA minimum are invited to submit additional information (student forms, information sheets, student resumes, faculty feedback forms, recommendation letters, etc.... NOT "applications"). Those that do that next step are submitted to the Faculty Council for review. Note that the adviser is a non-voting member of the Faculty Council, which means s/he does NOT have a vote in whether or not a student is selected for membership. A simple majority vote of the 5-member Faculty Council (3 of 5 members) means a student is invited on as a member.

Once the Faculty Council (FC) has a list of accepted and non-accepted candidates, that list should be reviewed by the school principal/administration for final approval. The principal has the authority to move students from one list to the other, however, it should be noted that when this is done, it weakens the structure and credibility of the FC. To avoid a feeling of "well, it doesn't matter, the principal is going to just put in/take out whoever s/he wants", the principal should only adjust the list if s/he is aware of serious issues related to character that go against the standards of the NHS Chapter.

Following the list approval, letters should be sent to BOTH selected and non-selected students. This process is further outlined in the NHS Handbook and NJHS Handbook. Students are not members until they are inducted into the Chapter.

Junior Honor Society Advisers

Honor Society Advisers

What's a good minimum GPA for a chapter?

Part-Time Students and NHS Eligibility

Who selects NHS/NJHS members?