How Will Colleges Evaluate Students during Pandemic?
2021-04-11
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1When schools around the U.S. closed starting in March 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions,
2more American students than usual received low grades.
3Now, many people are wondering:
4How will colleges and universities consider promising students who had trouble in school?
5Information gathered by the Reuters news agency shows that the number of very low grades increased by two or three times in some places.
6School closures and the move to internet classes affected all grade levels in U.S. schools.
7Reuters looked at schools in big cities like Chicago, and in smaller places like Carlsbad, California.
8Schools in all areas were affected by the move to teaching by video, or distance learning.
9But communities where people are poor and most students are minorities appeared to be affected the most.
10Fairfax County, Virginia, is a large school system outside of Washington, D.C.
11A report showed that the largest increase in failing grades in Fairfax came from students who did not grow up speaking English and those with learning problems.
12In Carlsbad, the number of Fs, the lowest grade possible, increased three times in the first half of the current school year compared to the same time the year before.
13In the school system that includes Las Vegas, Nevada, 13 percent of all grades were Fs, compared to six percent the year before.
14Many states offer tests to understand the progress of their students.
15The same test is given to every student in each grade.
16The results of those tests in North Carolina have not been good.
17More than half of the students who took exams in math and biology received a rating of "not proficient."
18The math examination given to students in 9th grade resulted in 66.4 percent of students getting the "not proficient" rating.
19A year ago 48.2 percent received that rating.
20Jonathan Plucker is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education.
21He said it may take two years to make up the gap in learning.
22"If we don't find ways to help them start to catch up, these gaps are going to get bigger," he said.
23Many school systems around the U.S. are expecting to receive increased money from the federal government in the coming years.
24Some of the money will pay for internet learning, after-school and summer programs.
25Schools hope that students will go back to classes in person, get extra help and improve their grades.
26But what about those students who will be applying to college this year or next?
27Older high school students, like those who will be graduating in 2022, may no longer have grades colleges will like.
28Some high schools even changed the way they give grades.
29Classes where the best students once received an A grade have changed to what is known as "pass/fail."
30This hurts students who did well in those classes because they cannot show colleges a good letter grade at the end of the term.
31Some strong universities in the U.S. also decided they would not require students to take the SAT, ACT or Advanced Placement tests.
32Many group tests were canceled when the coronavirus restrictions barred large events.
33Those schools are now considered "test-optional."
34Some of them include universities like New York University, Colgate University and Harvard University.
35So how can a college evaluate a student without traditional grades and test scores?
36Eric Hoover writes about college admissions for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
37He said universities are getting used to the idea of making "adjustments and allowances" for the many things that are missing from students' high school transcripts.
38In addition, he said, top colleges "have had to loosen all kinds of rules and standards and expectations this year."
39That is because qualified students could not show records that had letter grades for every class.
40About a year ago, a project organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Education helped the heads of admissions from 300 colleges and universities say what they "care about in this time of crisis."
41 It was called Making Caring Common.
42The document says students should be sure to let the admissions office know about the problems they faced during the pandemic.
43Universities said they understand that many after-school activities were canceled.
44They also know that students may have had to take a job or help care for a sick family member.
45Some of the schools that signed on to this document were American University, Caltech, Hamilton College, Johns Hopkins, The University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina.
46Hoover and others at the Chronicle of Higher Education spent a lot of time writing about the way admissions officers thought about students who would be graduating early in the pandemic.
47Those students have now been accepted to college.
48Now, universities are considering the next group of students.
49He said they will be affected by the pandemic's "long tail."
50"So, students might feel like they have to make up for lost time when they finally get back to in-person learning, either this spring or in the fall, but I think colleges are not expecting students to leap over the moon."
51When VOA contacted a number of universities to discuss how they will consider future students' grades, they chose not to answer.
52Even with the problems of the last year, Hoover said colleges want to see that students found a way to take on difficult projects.
53Also, he said, they should not give up on getting good grades.
54That is because colleges may be "test optional, but no one's going grade optional."
55Without a lot of normal activities like sports, theater and music, colleges are making decisions about students based on how seriously they take their studies.
56"Colleges are often impressed with students, who in addition to getting great grades, particularly in the subjects that they plan to study in college and major in, but also take those interests outside the classroom, right? Into their community, into other kinds of contexts."
57The pandemic may have caused colleges to change how they judge students.
58But they still want students who take learning seriously and will do well in the university setting.
59I'm Dan Friedell.
1When schools around the U.S. closed starting in March 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions, more American students than usual received low grades. 2Now, many people are wondering: How will colleges and universities consider promising students who had trouble in school? 3Information gathered by the Reuters news agency shows that the number of very low grades increased by two or three times in some places. School closures and the move to internet classes affected all grade levels in U.S. schools. 4Reuters looked at schools in big cities like Chicago, and in smaller places like Carlsbad, California. Schools in all areas were affected by the move to teaching by video, or distance learning. But communities where people are poor and most students are minorities appeared to be affected the most. 5Fairfax County, Virginia, is a large school system outside of Washington, D.C. A report showed that the largest increase in failing grades in Fairfax came from students who did not grow up speaking English and those with learning problems. 6Grades drop compared to a year earlier 7In Carlsbad, the number of Fs, the lowest grade possible, increased three times in the first half of the current school year compared to the same time the year before. 8In the school system that includes Las Vegas, Nevada, 13 percent of all grades were Fs, compared to six percent the year before. 9Many states offer tests to understand the progress of their students. The same test is given to every student in each grade. The results of those tests in North Carolina have not been good. More than half of the students who took exams in math and biology received a rating of "not proficient." 10The math examination given to students in 9th grade resulted in 66.4 percent of students getting the "not proficient" rating. A year ago 48.2 percent received that rating. 11Jonathan Plucker is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He said it may take two years to make up the gap in learning. 12"If we don't find ways to help them start to catch up, these gaps are going to get bigger," he said. 13How will colleges rate students? 14Many school systems around the U.S. are expecting to receive increased money from the federal government in the coming years. Some of the money will pay for internet learning, after-school and summer programs. Schools hope that students will go back to classes in person, get extra help and improve their grades. 15But what about those students who will be applying to college this year or next? 16Older high school students, like those who will be graduating in 2022, may no longer have grades colleges will like. Some high schools even changed the way they give grades. Classes where the best students once received an A grade have changed to what is known as "pass/fail." This hurts students who did well in those classes because they cannot show colleges a good letter grade at the end of the term. 17Some strong universities in the U.S. also decided they would not require students to take the SAT, ACT or Advanced Placement tests. Many group tests were canceled when the coronavirus restrictions barred large events. 18Those schools are now considered "test-optional." Some of them include universities like New York University, Colgate University and Harvard University. 19So how can a college evaluate a student without traditional grades and test scores? 20'Standards and expectations' 21Eric Hoover writes about college admissions for The Chronicle of Higher Education. He said universities are getting used to the idea of making "adjustments and allowances" for the many things that are missing from students' high school transcripts. 22In addition, he said, top colleges "have had to loosen all kinds of rules and standards and expectations this year." 23That is because qualified students could not show records that had letter grades for every class. 24About a year ago, a project organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Education helped the heads of admissions from 300 colleges and universities say what they "care about in this time of crisis." It was called Making Caring Common. 25The document says students should be sure to let the admissions office know about the problems they faced during the pandemic. Universities said they understand that many after-school activities were canceled. They also know that students may have had to take a job or help care for a sick family member. 26Some of the schools that signed on to this document were American University, Caltech, Hamilton College, Johns Hopkins, The University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina. 27Lasting effects 28Hoover and others at the Chronicle of Higher Education spent a lot of time writing about the way admissions officers thought about students who would be graduating early in the pandemic. Those students have now been accepted to college. Now, universities are considering the next group of students. He said they will be affected by the pandemic's "long tail." 29"So, students might feel like they have to make up for lost time when they finally get back to in-person learning, either this spring or in the fall, but I think colleges are not expecting students to leap over the moon." 30When VOA contacted a number of universities to discuss how they will consider future students' grades, they chose not to answer. 31Even with the problems of the last year, Hoover said colleges want to see that students found a way to take on difficult projects. Also, he said, they should not give up on getting good grades. That is because colleges may be "test optional, but no one's going grade optional." 32Without a lot of normal activities like sports, theater and music, colleges are making decisions about students based on how seriously they take their studies. 33"Colleges are often impressed with students, who in addition to getting great grades, particularly in the subjects that they plan to study in college and major in, but also take those interests outside the classroom, right? Into their community, into other kinds of contexts." 34The pandemic may have caused colleges to change how they judge students. But they still want students who take learning seriously and will do well in the university setting. 35I'm Dan Friedell. 36Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Reuters and the Associated Press contributed material. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 37Has the pandemic affected your grades? What are you doing about it? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 38_______________________________________________________________ 39Words in This Story 40proficient -adj. skilled or good at doing something 41gap -n. a difference between two people, groups or kinds of things 42optional -adj. available by choice but not required 43adjustment -n. a small change that improves or makes something work better 44allowance -n. the act of thinking about or including something when you make a plan 45transcript -n. an official record of a student's grades 46standards -n. (often pl.) a level of quality or requirements that are considered acceptable or desirable 47leap -v. to jump 48particularly -adv. more than usual; especially 49context -n. the situation in which something happens; the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens