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2022年07月09日

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Higher Grades Challenge College Application Process

Josh Zalasky should be the kind of college applicant with little to worry about. The high school senior is taking three Advanced Placement courses. Outside the classroom, he's involved in mock trial, two Jewish youth groups and has a job with a restaurant chain. He's a National Merit semifinalist and scored in the top 3 percent of all students who take the ACT.

But in the increasingly frenzied world of college admissions, even Zalasky is nervous about his prospects. He doubts he'll get into the University of Wisconsin, a top choice. The reason: his grades.

It's not that they're bad. It's that so many of his classmates are so good. Zalasky's GPA is nearly an A minus, and yet he ranks only about in the middle of his senior class of 543 at Edina High School outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. That means he will have to find other ways to stand out.

“It's extremely difficult,” he said. “I spent all summer writing my essay. We even hired a private tutor to make sure that essay was the best it can be. But even with that, it's like I'm just kind of leveling the playing field.” Last year, he even considered transferring out of his highly competitive public school, to some place where his grades would look better.

Grade Inflation

Some call the phenomenon that Zalasky's fighting “grade inflation”—implying the boost is undeserved. Others say students are truly earning their better marks. Regardless, it's a trend that's been building for years and may only be accelerating: many students are getting very good grades. So many, in fact, it is getting harder and harder for colleges to use grades as a measuring stick for applicants.

Extra credit for AP courses, parental lobbying and genuine hard work by the most competitive students have combined to shatter any semblance of a Bell curve, one in which A's are reserved only for the very best. For example, of the 47,317 applications the University of California, Los Angeles, received for this fall's freshman class, nearly 21,000 had GPAs of 4.0 or above.

That's also making it harder for the most selective colleges—who often call grades the single most important factor in admissions—to join in a growing movement to lessen the influence of standardized tests.

“We're seeing 30, 40 valedictorians at a high school because they don't want to create these distinctions between students,” said Jess Lord, dean of admission and financial aid at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. “If we don't have enough information, there's a chance we'll become more heavily reliant on test scores, and that's a real negative to me.”

Standardized tests have endured a heap of bad publicity lately, with the SAT raising anger about its expanded length and recent scoring problems. A number of schools have stopped requiring test scores, to much fanfare.

But lost in the developments is the fact that none of the most selective colleges have dropped the tests. In fact, a national survey shows overall reliance on test scores is higher in admissions than it was a decade ago.

“It's the only thing we have to evaluate students that will help us tell how they compare to each other,” said Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania.

Misleading Statistics?

Grade inflation is hard to measure, and experts' caution numbers are often misleading because standards and scales vary so widely. Different practices of “weighting” GPAs for AP work also play havoc. Still, the trend seems to be showing itself in a variety of ways.

The average high school GPA increased from 2.68 to 2.94 between 1990 and 2000, according to a federal study. Almost 23 percent of college freshmen in 2005 reported their average grade in high school was an A or better, according to a national survey by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute. In 1975, the percentage was about half that.

GPAs reported by students on surveys when they take the SAT and ACT exams have also risen—and faster than their scores on those tests. That suggests their classroom grades aren't rising just because students are getting smarter. Not surprisingly, the test-owners say grade inflation shows why testing should be kept: it gives all students an equal chance to shine.

The problems associated with grade inflation aren't limited to elite college applicants.

More than 70 percent of schools and districts analyzed by an education audit company called SchoolMatch had average GPAs significantly higher than they should have been based on their standardized test scores—including the school systems in Chicago, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Denver, Colorado, San Bernardino, California, and Columbus, Ohio. That raises concerns about students graduating from those schools unprepared for college.

“They get mixed in with students from more rigorous schools and they just get blown away,” said SchoolMatch CEO William Bainbridge.

In Georgia, high school grades rose after the state began awarding HOPE scholarships to students with a 3.0 high school GPA. But the scholarship requires students to keep a 3.0 GPA in college, too, and more than half who received the HOPE in the fall of 1998 and entered the University of Georgia system lost eligibility before earning 30 credits. Next year, Georgia is taking a range of steps to tighten eligibility, including calculating GPA itself rather than relying on schools, and no longer giving extra GPA weight to vaguely labeled “honors” classes.

Among those who work with students gunning for the more selective colleges, opinions differ as to why there seem to be so many straight-A students.

“I think there are more pressures now than there used to be, because 20 or 30 years ago kids with a B plus average got into some of the best colleges in the country,” said William Shain, dean of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin College in Maine. “It didn't matter if you had a 3.9 instead of a 3.95. I don't know if it matters now either, but people are more likely to think it does.”

Lord, the Haverford dean, sees grade inflation as the outcome of an irrational fear among students to show any slip up—in grades or discipline. In fact, colleges like his are often more interested in students who have overcome failure and challenge than robots who have never been anything less than perfect.

“There's a protection and encouragement of self-esteem that I don't agree with, but I think it's a lot of what's going on here,” he said. “And the college admissions process feeds into that.”

Expectations Set High

Back in Minnesota, Edina may join a growing number of schools that no longer officially rank students—a move that could help students like Zalasky, who says he was told by Wisconsin his class rank makes him a longshot.

“They feel they're being left behind or not getting into the schools that they're applying to because of a particular class rank,” says Edina counselor Bill Hicks. “And there is some validity with respect to some certain schools that use certain formulas.”

But the colleges most popular with Edina students already know how strong the school is: students' median verbal and math SAT scores are 1170 out of 1600.

Hicks isn't willing to blame the concentration of grades at the top on spineless teachers, or on grade-grubbing by parents and students. Expectations are high, and grades are based on student mastery of the material, not a curve. Wherever teachers place the bar for an A, the students clear it.

“Everyone here is like, ‘if I can get a 98 why would I get a 93?’” said Lavanya Srinivasan, who was ranked third in her Edina class last year. Far from being pushovers, she says, Edina teachers are tougher than those in a course she took at Harvard last summer.

Zalasky agrees the students work hard for their high grades.

“The mentality of this school is, if you're not getting straight A's you're not doing well,” he said. “There's just so much pressure on us day in and day out to get straight A's that everybody does.”

Hicks compares the atmosphere at Edina to the World Series expectations that always surround the superstar lineup of the New York Yankees. “If they don't win it,” he said, “then it's failure.”

1. According to the passage what kind of college applicant should Josh Zalasky be?

A. Josh Zalasky should be the kind of college applicant with no more effort.

B. Josh Zalasky should be the kind of college applicant with little effort.

C. Josh Zalasky should be the kind of college applicant with nothing to worry about.

D. Josh Zalasky should be the kind of college applicant with little to worry about.

2. Why is Zalasky nervous about his prospects?

A. Because his grades are too bad.

B. Because many of his classmates are so good.

C. Because his GPA is only a B.

D. Because it's extremely difficult for him to make a choice.

3. It is getting harder and harder for colleges to use grades as a/ an _____.

A. measuring stick for applicants

B. evaluating of students

C. awarding of scholarship

D. better academic achievement

4. The University of California, Los Angeles, received _____ applications that had GPAs of 4.0 or above.

A. nearly 2/3

B. nearly 1/4

C. nearly 1/2

D. nearly 3/4

5. A national survey shows overall reliance on test scores is _____.

A. lower in admissions than it was a year ago

B. lower in admissions than it was a decade ago

C. higher in admissions than it was a year ago

D. higher in admissions than it was a decade ago

6. According to a federal study, what has increased from 2.68 to 2.94 between 1990 and 2000?

A. The classroom grades.

B. The average high school GPA.

C. The SAT and ACT exams.

D. The SAT and ACT scores.

7. Georgia is taking a range of steps to tighten eligibility, including _____.

A. giving extra GPA weight to vaguely labeled “honors” classes

B. calculating GPA itself rather than relying on schools

C. gunning for the more selective colleges

D. requiring students to keep a 3.0 GPA in college

8. Some colleges would like to admit students who have overcome failure and challenge rather than those who have never been _____.

9. Students may try their best to master the material they learn to clear _____ placed by teachers for an A.

10. In Zalasky's opinion, students are put under great pressure to work hard to get straight A's or they will be regarded as _____.

文章精要:

文章指出,目前美國大學(xué)在錄取新生時,仍然比較看重分?jǐn)?shù)。在一些學(xué)校里由于獎學(xué)金政策的執(zhí)行,學(xué)生的分?jǐn)?shù)迅速攀升??荚嚨膿碜o(hù)者指出,考試有必要存在,因為它給學(xué)生提供了展示自我的平臺,而這也無疑會給學(xué)生帶來巨大的壓力。

答案解析:

1. D 根據(jù)題干中的信息Josh Zalasky定位到原文第一段首句,可知Zalasky應(yīng)該是那種幾乎不必?fù)?dān)心申請上大學(xué)的學(xué)生,故本題選D。

2. B 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞Zalasky、nervous about和his prospects定位到原文第二段,可知Zalasky擔(dān)心自己的前途,原因在于他的分?jǐn)?shù);下一段首句提到,他的成績并不差,只是他的許多同學(xué)成績太好了,故本題選B。

3. A 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞getting harder and harder和for colleges to use grades定位到第一個小標(biāo)題下的第一段,可知用分?jǐn)?shù)作為申請者的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)對大學(xué)來說越來越難了,故本題選A。

4. C 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞University of California, Los Angeles和had GPAs of 4.0 or above定位到原文第一個小標(biāo)題下的第二段末句,根據(jù)計算可知大約1/2的新生年級平均成績在4學(xué)分以上,故本題選C。

5. D 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞A national survey和reliance on test scores定位到原文第一個小標(biāo)題下的倒數(shù)第二段末句,可知一份國家調(diào)查顯示,在錄取新生時對考試分?jǐn)?shù)的整體依賴性要高于10年前,故本題選D。

6. B 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞According to a federal study和from 2.68 to 2.94 between 1990 and 2000定位到原文第二個小標(biāo)題下的第二段首句,可知一項聯(lián)邦調(diào)查顯示:中學(xué)的年級平均成績在1990年到2000年間從2.68漲到了2.94,故本題選B。

7. B 根據(jù)題干中的信息詞Georgia和taking a range of steps to tighten eligibility定位到原文第二個小標(biāo)題下第七段的末句,可知在喬治亞州開始為高中平均成績點數(shù)為3.0的學(xué)生提供希望獎學(xué)金后,高中學(xué)生的成績就開始提高,但該獎學(xué)金要求學(xué)生在大學(xué)期間也要保持3.0的平均成績點數(shù),次年,喬治亞州又采取了一些措施,包括自己計算年級平均成績而不是依賴學(xué)校,對榮譽班級不再給額外的年級平均成績,故本題選B。

8. anything less than perfect。根據(jù)題干中的信息詞overcome failure and challenge定位到原文第二個小標(biāo)題下的倒數(shù)第二段,可知相比那些完美得像機器人一樣的學(xué)生,與哈弗福德大學(xué)相似的大學(xué)通常對那些克服失敗并迎接過挑戰(zhàn)的學(xué)生更感興趣,由此可得答案。

9. the bar。根據(jù)題干中的信息詞master the material和clear定位到原文第三個小標(biāo)題下的第四段,可知無論教師怎樣為學(xué)生在考試中得到A而設(shè)置障礙,學(xué)生都能將障礙清除,由此可知,學(xué)生為了在考試中得到A,就會盡力掌握學(xué)習(xí)的資料來清除教師設(shè)置的障礙。

10. failures。根據(jù)題干中的信息詞pressure和get straight A's定位到原文倒數(shù)第二段,Zalasky表示,學(xué)校的想法是,如果你沒得到全A的成績,你就沒有做好,他們每天都承受著巨大的壓力去得到全A的成績,就像所有學(xué)生都做的那樣;原文最后提到,Hicks將Zalasky所在學(xué)校的情況和紐約洋基隊的情況做了比較,如果他們不能勝利,那么他們就失敗了,即,對于學(xué)生來說,不能得到A就等于失敗,由此可得答案。

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