VOA慢速英语--You Won’t Get Grades at These Colleges

 

At most American colleges, teachers give students grades that evaluate their performance in class. The grades range from A to F – with A the highest and F signaling failure.

But some colleges do not use grades. Instead, teachers write reports on what the students did well and what they did not do well. The reports also include suggestions on how students can do better.

Students and teachers say the written reports provide much more information than letter grades on how students are doing. But some students admit that their parents complain they cannot brag¹ to family and friends that their child is an “A student.”

Students praise feedback

Jessica Wewers, 21, is an early education major at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Alverno is a small Catholic college serving female students.

Wewers said when she returns to her home in Illinois, some friends tell her they think it is strange she does not receive letter grades.

But Wewers likes the detailed² information her teachers provide. It has already helped her prepare teaching plans simple enough for young children to understand.

“I was asking a little too much of younger children,” Wewers said.

Her classmate, Angelina Nuno, transferred from a large state college, where she struggled with her writing. Detailed suggestions from her Alverno teachers helped her write clearly. Soon, Nuno expects to begin tutoring fellow students to help with their writing problems.

Student willing to take difficult classes

Ben Stumps³ is a senior at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.

He said that he received traditional A through F grades at high school. But in many cases, he could not explain why he received the grades he did.

Stumps said students at Hampshire and other colleges without letter grades are more willing to take difficult classes. For example, Stumps said he struggled in high school with science. But he was willing to take a science class in college because he did not risk getting a bad grade that could hurt his grade point average.

And, he found that he not only enjoyed the science class, but had the skills to successfully complete scientific research.

Other schools that provide written reports instead of letter grades include Antioch University with campuses in Los Angles, California and four other locations; New College of Florida; Prescott College in Arizona; Goddard College in Vermont and Washington; and Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Evergreen⁴ State College, both in Washington State.

Indiana University did a report on the history of grading in America. It said Yale University in Connecticut was the first college to give out grades to “differentiate” student performance. In other words, it wanted to show how students compared to each other. Yale started in the late 1700s with a top grade of “optimi” and a grade of "inferiores" for students not doing very well.

International students

Mark Hower is interim⁵ provost at Antioch University in Los Angeles.

He said international students often must adjust to college life in America. Written evaluations⁷ can help them understand what is expected of them better than a letter grade that “tells them very little,” Hower said.

Nevertheless, some people worry what will happen to Antioch students when they apply for graduate school and jobs. Will they be able to compete with students who have traditional grades?

Hower says yes. Most admissions officers and employers welcome the more detailed information Antioch provides, he added.

Rachel Rubinstein is dean of academic support at Hampshire College. She said people running companies do not use letter grades to evaluate their workers. They value employees based on whether they can do their jobs well.

Rubinstein said colleges should do the same. “Letter grades do not tell you nearly enough about how students are doing."

Do students need the reward of good grades to work hard?

William Coplin is director of the Public Affairs Program of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in New York.

He said most colleges do not give students enough information about how grades are determined⁸.

But he questions if students will work hard if they are not worrying about getting good grades. “Kids are motivated by grades,” Coplin said. “There are very few kids who are self-motivated.”

Vanessa Rios, 32, earned an undergraduate degree from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She is now working toward her master’s degree at Antioch.

Rios said just because students are not getting letter grades does not mean students can get away without working hard. The detailed reviews by teachers mean they need to understand what is being taught, she said.

“What it (not having grades) does do is reduce the anxiety level,” Rios said.

Students expecting less work will be disappointed

Kathy Lake is vice⁹ president for academic affairs at Alverno.

She said students will be disappointed if they think “no grades” means less work. At many colleges, students stay up all night before big exams to try to learn information they were supposed to learn over months in the classroom.

“That just doesn’t work at Alverno,” Lake said. At Alverno, teachers evaluate students at each class -- meaning one night of studying will not be nearly enough, she said.

I'm Bruce Alpert.

And I'm Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

brag - v. to talk about yourself, your achievements, your family and other things in a way that shows too much pride

tutor - v. to work with a student to help him/her learn

campus - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school

adjust - v. to make necessary changes

evaluation⁶ - n. to judge the value or condition of someone in a careful and thoughtful way

academic - adj. relating to schools and education

anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

1 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

2 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

3 stumps   

（被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分

参考例句：

• Rocks and stumps supplied the place of chairs at the picnic. 野餐时石头和树桩都充当了椅子。
• If you don't stir your stumps, Tom, you'll be late for school again. 汤姆，如果你不快走，上学又要迟到了。

4 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

7 evaluations   

估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断

参考例句：

• In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上，我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
• Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲，这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。