[translation]The rise of college ‘Grade Forgiveness’

Posted 2021-02-09 wilsin

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Education

教育

The rise of college ‘Grade Forgiveness‘

/*the rise of …的增加*/大学等级宽恕现象的增加。

Universities are letting students take classes over again---a consequence of the pressure schools feel to ensure their "customers" are satisfied.

/*over again 重复，再一次*/

大学允许学生重复上课---这是由于一些有压力的学校为了确保他们的学生顾客感到满意而导致的结果。

JEFFREY SELINGO JUN 29,2018

杰弗瑞.塞林格 2018-6-29.

Over the course of the past three decades,the A has become the most common grades,given out on American college campuses.

/*decade 十年*/

在过去的三十年的课程中，A等级是美国大学校园中最普遍的成绩。

In 2015,42 percent of grades were top marks,compared to 31 percent in 1988.

/*top marks ，满分*/

在2015年，42%的成绩是满分，相比之下，在1988年，仅有31%的成绩是满分

This trend of grade inflaction-the gradual increase in average GPAs over the past few decades-is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education,in which students are treated like customers to be pleased.

/*GPAs 平均绩点*/

/*inflaction膨胀*/

/*era 时代*/

在过去的几十年中，平均绩点逐渐增加。

这种成绩膨胀的趋势常被认为是在较高的教育中的顾客时代的产物。

在消费者时代，学生常常被尊待为顾客。

But another,related force—a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called ‘grade forgiveness‘—is helping raise grade—point averages.

/*catalog 目录，登记*/

然而，等级宽恕政策常常被牢固地锁定到课程目录中，该政策的影响力使得平均成绩点上升。,

Different schools‘ policies can work in slightly different ways,but in general,grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade,and the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a student‘s overall GPA.(Both grades still appear on the student‘s transcript.)

/*calculating 计算的；calculate 计算*/

/*transcript 抄本，副本，成绩单*/

不同学校的政策执行方式不同，但一般来说，当学生成绩较低时，成绩宽恕政策允许学生重修课程，并将最近的或是成绩中最高的一个分数计算入平均绩点中。（所有的成绩仍然会在学生成绩单上展示）

The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years,as colleges continue to do their utmost to keep students in school(and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates.

/*little-known 不为人知的*/

/*practice 练习，惯例，业务，实行*/

/*utmost 极度的，极限*/

/*tuition学费*/

最近几年，这种不为人知的惯例得到了加速发展。大学尽其最大的努力，以留住学生（以为了收取学费）和提高毕业率。

According to a forthcoming survey by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers,a trade group,some 91 percent of undergraduate colleges and 80 percent of graduate and professional schools permit students to repeat courses to improve a grade.

/*forthcoming 即将来临的，现成的*/

/*registrar 登记员*/

/*admission 承认，准许进入，入场费*/

/*trade 贸易，交易，行业*/

/*graduate 毕业生，研究生，渐变*/

/*professional 专业的，职业的*/

据大学登记和官方许可的美国协会调查结果显示，91%的本科学校和80%的研究生学校及职业学校允许学生重修课程，以此提高成绩。

When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses.

/*transition 过渡，转变*/

当这一举措在数十年前首次执行时，通常仅限于大一的新生。为了便于那些在大学课程分数上挣扎的人过渡，以在入学后第一年有机会重修课程，

But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.

/*save for 节省，除了*/

/*selective 选择的，精选的，不普遍的，淘汰的*/

/*save for 节省，除了*/

然而，除了一些顶尖的学校以外，大多数学校会允许任何本科生，甚至是研究生，拥有重修资格。

The rise of grade forgiveness scans as yet another instance of colleges treating students as customers to be satisfied—similar to campus amenities such as luxurious dorms, palatial recreational facilities, and cornucopian dining halls.

/*scans 扫描，浏览图*/

/*instance 例子，场合，情况*/

/*amenities --amenity舒适，怡人，便利设施*/

/*luxurious 奢侈的，豪华的.luxury 奢侈*/

/*dorms –dorm 集体宿舍*/

/*palatial 宫殿般的，宏伟的*/

/*recreational 娱乐的，消遣的 recreat 再创造，使得到消遣*/

/*facilities –facility 设施，功能，便利，熟练，资质*/

/*cornucopian 丰富的 cornucopia 聚宝盆*/

/*dining halls 餐厅，食堂 */

除了成绩宽恕现象的增多，学校还采取其他的手段，将学生视为顾客，以确保他们满意。比如大学校园中舒适的环境，例如豪华的宿舍，宫殿般的娱乐设施和食品丰富的食堂。

Indeed, there seems to be demand for do-overs.

/*Indeed 的确，真正地 */

/*Do-overs 做过事的 */

的确，对于这样做过的学校来说，这似乎是很有必要。

"Students are asking for it," said Jack Miner, Ohio State University‘s registrar and executive director of enrollment services.

/*registrar 记录员，登记员，注册主任 */

/*executive 行政的，决策的，管理人员 */

/*director 指导者，主任；导演 */

OSU的注册及招生主任JM说，："学生要求这样做。"

"We‘re attracting and retaining stronger students and there‘s more competition to get into majors and graduate schools, and a small change in their GPA can help."

/*retaining –retain 保留，保持*/

/*competition 竞争，比赛 compete 竞争*/

/*majors 主修课，成年人 */

我们正在吸引和留住更好的学生，进入核心的研究院面临着更大的竞争，学生们的成绩上的一点改变会有助于他们的升学。

Ohio State expanded its grade-forgiveness policy three years ago to cover all undergraduates instead of just freshmen.

三年前，OS大学将该校的成绩宽恕政策享用范围扩宽到所有的本科生，而不是像以前仅仅适应于大一新生。

Miner says that about 4,500 students—roughly 10 percent of Ohio State‘s undergraduate population—take advantage of the policy in any given year.

/*miner 采矿者，矿工 */

/*roughly 粗略的，大约 */

迈尔说到，在该政策下发后，每年会有大约4500名学生从中受益，该人数大约占OS大学本科生人数的10%。

Most students see their grades rise in the second attempt, usually a full letter grade or a full letter and a half, Miner said. Still, about 15 percent of students who receive a failing grade in the first attempt have the same outcome in the second.

/*attempt 企图，试图 */

/*a failing grade 不及格 */

/*a full letter grade 满分 */

迈尔说到，大多数学生在第二次考试中会得到一个进步的分数，通常是满分或者是进步一多半的成绩。尽管如此，在第一次考试中不及格的学生中，仍会有大约15%的会再次不及格。

"That‘s a wake-up call for those students that maybe they need to reconsider their major," Miner said.

/*work-up call 警醒，警钟*/

"对于那些可能需要去重新考虑自己的专业的学生来说，这样做或许可以起到警醒作用。"迈尔说到。

Miner is generally optimistic about the promise of grade forgiveness, but others are concerned about what it could do to academic dynamics.

/*generally 通常地，一般地*/

/*optimistic 乐观的*/

/*academic 学术的，学院的，非实用的*/

/*dynamics 活力，动力；动力的，有活力的*/

迈尔对于等级宽恕政策这一政策持有乐观态度，但是其他的人担心该政策对学术界活力的影响。

"It teaches students that their work in a course doesn‘t matter because there‘s always another chance," said Jonathan Marx, a professor of sociology at Winthrop University, in South Carolina.

/*sociology 社会学*/

/*Winthrop University温斯洛普大学*/

/*South Carolina 南卡罗来纳州*/

南卡罗来纳州的温斯洛普大学社会学教授，Jm说到："该措施使得学生不再重视他们的功课，因为他们总是有第二次机会。"

Marx and his colleague David Meeler, an associate professor of philosophy, have studied grade-forgiveness programs at eight public institutions in an unnamed southern state.

/*colleague 同事*/

/*associate 副的，结交，结伙，联想，同事*/

/*philosophy 哲学*/

/*institution 制定，制度，机构，风俗，习惯*/

哲学副教授Marx和他的同事DM，已经以不记名的方式研究了南部地区的八个机构有关成绩宽恕政策的影响。

What they found in a study published in 2013 is that 5 percent of the seniors they polled at one of the institutions used grade-forgiveness policies to keep anywhere from a quarter to half of all of their coursework from counting toward their GPA.

/*seniors –senior 高级的，年长的，大四学生*/

/*polled --poll 民意调查，获得（选票） */

/* keep anywhere from 远离*/

/* quarter 四分之一，一刻钟，季度，地区，方向*/

/*coursework 课程作业*/

/*counting toward – count toward 包括在内，计入*/

从他们已经在2013年出版的研究结果可以看出，被调查的一家机构中5%的大四学生通过成绩宽恕政策，将课程分数在满分的1/4到1/2的成绩都不计入成绩单。

One student highlighted in the study repeated five different courses for better grades, including a math class in which she was eventually able to raise her grade from a D to an A-minus.

/*minus 负值，负的，减去*/

在调查的学生中比较突出的一个，重考了五门不同的科目，以获得更好的成绩。其中，包括一门数学课，她将该数学分数从开始的D提升到A-。

"Everyone knows about grade inflation, but this is GPA distortion, and few people looking at a student‘s GPA know it happens," Meeler said.

/*distortion 扭曲，歪曲，失真*/

"每一个人都知道成绩在膨胀似的上升，但是很少人会意识到，这是成绩扭曲现象的结果"，M说到。

He and Marx told me they have nothing against giving students second chances, but their issue is with the colleges that, say, allow a student to repeat five courses as they please.

/*issue 问题，发行*/

/*as they please 随意 */

他和M告诉我，他们不反对给学生重修的机会，但是问题在于学校允许学生随意重修五门课程。

"Institutions are allowing students to manage their grades to get the highest reward," Meeler said, as opposed to requiring students to work with faculty members to master the material.

/*reward 奖励，报酬*/

/*as opposed to 而不是*/

/*faculty 才能，全体教员，院系*/

/*material 材料，原料*/

"机构允许学生管理成绩以获得最高的奖励。" M说到，而不是要求学生与教师们进行合作以掌握这些东西。

At the University of Colorado Boulder, such concerns led faculty members to eliminate grade forgiveness in 2010.

/*the University of Colorado Boulder科罗拉多大学博尔德分校*/

/*eliminate 消除，淘汰*/

由于考虑到这个问题，科罗拉多大学博尔德分校的老师在2010年禁止了成绩宽恕政策。

Professors at the time were worried about the fairness of the policy—they noticed that students in some majors were using it more than those in others, and that a freshman-oriented rule was being used regularly by upperclassmen.

/*freshman-oriented –freshman大一学生；oriented 以…为导向的；orient 东方，远方，珍贵的，东方的，调整*/

/*regularly 有规律地，定期地，经常地*/

/*upperclassmen 高年级学生*/

那时候，教授们担心该政策的公平性。他们注意到一些专业的学生相比于其他专业的学生来说，会更擅长使用该政策；而且，针对大一新生的政策会经常被高年级的学生以此为导向，作为追求的目标。

But now, as other colleges adopt or expand such policies, Colorado is considering reinstating the practice.

/*reinstating –reinstate 使复位，恢复 */

现如今，随着其他的学校采取并推广该政策，科罗拉多大学正在考虑恢复该措施。

"We‘re weighing how to foster student success to help them achieve their goals," said Kristi Wold-McCormick, the university‘s registrar.

/*weighing—weigh衡量；权衡 */

/*foster 培养；助长；抚养*/

该大学的招生主任KWM说到："我们正在权衡怎样去成功地培养学生以帮助他们实现他们的目标。"

"We are not trying to alter academic history.

It gives the student a chance to tell their story, about how they overcame a mistake or a struggle."

"我们不是尝试去改变学术的历史，这给学生一个机会去讲述他们自己关于克服错误计及面对挑战的故事。"

College officials also tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and graduation without incurring a big penalty.

/*critical 批判性的，临界的，危急的，关键的*/

/*penalty 惩罚*/

学校官方人员也趋向于强调，成绩宽恕政策的目的不是成绩本身，而是去鼓励学生重修课程。学生的学位和在毕业时不遭受大的惩罚是至关重要的。

"Ultimately," Ohio State‘s Miner said, "we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in subsequent courses or master the content that allows them to graduate on time."

/* Ultimately 最终，归根结底，根本上 */

/* subsequent 随后的，后来的 */

"从根本上来讲，"OS大学的迈尔说到，"我们看到学生获得更大的成功因为重修课程，而且做的更好在随后的课程中，并按时掌握了要求他们毕业时掌握的内容。"

That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges‘ own needs as well.

/* That said 也就是说*/

/*satisfy 使满足，符合 */

也就是说，有一种方式，使得成绩宽恕政策可以符合大学本身的需求。

For public institutions, state appropriations are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and student retention—so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more money.

/* appropriation 拨用；占有；拨款 */

/*metrics 公制的*/

/* retention 保留，记忆力 */

对于公立的学校而言，国家的拨款数量有时主要与规定的毕业率及学生人数有关。通过像这样的措施去提升数目，使得更好的成绩意味着更多的钱。

And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students—who, at the end of the day, are paying the bill—feel they‘ve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big concern for colleges.

以任何方式提升成绩，将会使得在毕业时支付学费的学生，感到他们的学费物有所值，这对于学校来说是另外一个比较值得关心的方面。

Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers‘ expectations for higher education.

/* expectations 期待，预料 */

事实上，成绩宽恕政策仅仅是大学以其他的方式去回应顾客对于高等教育的期望。

Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of a school to churn out graduates who are as qualified as possible—or at least appear to be.

/*interest 兴趣，利益*/

/* churn out 快速生产，大量生产 –churn 搅拌，制造，买卖，制乳桶*/

由于学生及家长们期望得到大学学位以去找工作，使得学校为了利益最大化去大量生产一些尽可能质量合格的毕业生，或者至少看起来合格。

On this, students‘ and colleges‘ incentives seem to be aligned.

/*incentive 刺激性的，鼓励的，诱因，动机 */

/*aligned—align 整齐，排列成一条线 */

就此现象来看，学生和学校的动机看起来是一致的。

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/*submit 忍受，服从，提交*/

/*editor 编辑*/

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