System of evaluation in us schools

To graduate from high school students must have a certain number of credits during their 4 years in high school. Credits are points given for every subject that a student passes successfully. If students get enough credits after passing all the tests and “finals” at the end of a semester or term, they receive graduation diplomas at the graduation ceremony. In most subjects tests or quizzes, which are just smaller tests, are given weekly or every two weeks and they are always written. They’re graded by the teacher. To “grade” here means to give a mark. Usually the teachers use a letter system, so that “A” is the highest grade, “D” or ”F” are the lowest ones. Students may also get grade points: each letter grade is assigned a certain number of points - from “0” to “4”. For example, ‘A” – excellent is equal to 4 points, “B” – Very good – to 3 points. “C” – Acceptable – to 2 points, “D” – Minimum passing – to 1 point. Then the grades for all student’s classes are averaged and the student gets a grade point average – GPA. This system of evaluation is rather complicated.

Ex. 7. Answer the questions.

1. Why do you think there is no the Ministry of Education in the USA?

2. What American institutions set educational requirements?

3. How many years do American students attend school?

4. Is preschool education mandatory in the USA?

5. What’s the difference between electives and subjects from which students can choose?

6. What do students do at a double period?

7. Why do high school students “juggle” school and work?

8. How often do students have tests and quizzes?

9. What letters are used in letter system?

10. How many numbers of points are there in grade point system?

11. What number of points is a letter grade “F” assigned?

12. What does the term “GPA” mean?

13. How do you understand the following statement: “Education in the USA is based on the belief that learning how to think for oneself through research and problem-solving skills is more important than learning facts”?

Going to college

Vocabulary:

fee – плата

Associate degree – ассоциированный

School transcript – аттестат об окончании школы

minor – незначительный

applicant – зд. Абитуриент

score – количество очков

to unite – объединять

to apply – подать заявление

admission – прием

Scholastic Aptitude Test – тест на выявление способностей

multiply – умножать

contribution – пожертвование

achievement – достижение

Ex. 1. Learn the pronunciation of the following words:

Harvard [ ] multiply [ ]

Princeton [ ] elite [ ]

Massachusetts [ ] Yale [ ]

Scholastic [ ] Virginia [ ]

Ex. 2. Read and translate the text.

Going to college

Eleventh-graders often talk about what they’re going to do after school and what they want to be. Almost all of them are dreaming about some elite universities, such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell or Columbia. There are over 2 000 universities and colleges in the USA.

America’s first college, Harvard, was founded in Massachusetts in 1636, the second, William and Marry, was established in Virginia in 1693, the largest university is the University of California.

Approximately 35% of school leavers enter universities or colleges. Since the mid-1990s, the number of high school graduates wishing to get accepted at a university or college has been on the rise.

There is no central system of higher education. Each state is responsible for organizing its own system of education.

All colleges and universities are either state (public), sponsored by the state government and the Federal government, or private, sponsored by the students’ tuition fees and donor contributions. The tuition at state universities is smaller.

There are the following institutions of higher education in this country:

Community Colleges (public) and Junior Colleges (private). They have two-year programs of semiprofessional training. After graduation students get the Associate degree. The tuition fee in Community Colleges is minimal as they are provided by local communities.

Then there are Liberal Arts Colleges, which focus on general education in literature, history, languages, philosophy. They also offer some science courses. These colleges provide two-year basic programs and two-year programs specializing major subjects to students’ professional interest. The four-year education leads to the Bachelor’s degree, which is not a science degree.

The third kind is Institutes of Technology. They are actually technical universities offering technical, scientific and engineering studies.

Universities differ from Liberal Arts Colleges and Institutes of Technology. Their distinctive feature is that they consist of two schools; the Underground school, where students get the Bachelor’s degree for four years of study – the Bachelor of Arts (B. A.) or the Bachelor of Science (B. S.) – and, as in high school, the students are freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. If students want to continue their education, after getting the Bachelor’s degree, they go to the Graduate school where they get advanced degrees – the Master’s degree (M.A. and M.S.) with one more year of study and after 2-3 years of graduate work and uniting a dissertation – the Ph. D. degree (Doctor of Philosophy), which is the only science degree in this country.

A university is often composed of Schools and Colleges. College is a part of university that teaches a special branch of knowledge. A School is a part of university also focused on one area of study and research: Business Schools, Medical Schools, Law Schools. On graduation, Schools, like Colleges, may grant the Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and Ph. D. degree. They also grant professional degrees, such as Doctor of Medicine after Medical School, etc.

The terms “college” and “university” are often interchangeable. But colleges usually offer four-year undergraduate programs and the Bachelor’s degree, though some may offer the Master’s degree programs. As for universities, they are larger and have undergraduate and graduate schools. The word “school” may be used when speaking about any educational institute.

Because this country doesn’t have a Ministry of Education, there’s a special accreditation system which guarantees the quality of education at a university or college. And it is more prestigious to study at school that is accredited.

Many high school students, who plan to go to college, take specified “prep” courses long before. They usually apply for admission in October or November in their senior year. They take aptitude tests: SAT – Scholastic Aptitude Test, or ACT – American College Test. Their achievement is evaluated in scores. Applicants send their SAT scores, a satisfactory school transcript and letters of recommendation to the Dean of Administration. They can expect the answer not till April. When students are admitted, the first thing they have to do is decide about their academic programs. The adviser helps them make the right choice. The first two years are usually devoted to general education. Toward the end of the second year students must to declare their majors and minors. Like in high school, the student’s achievement is evaluated with grades and credits. The student earns a credit for each our spent in class. The quality points are multiplied by the number of semester hours assigned to each course. Then they’re summed and divided by the total number of credit hours. This is how the Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated.

Ex. 3. Disagree with the statements using the model.

Model:

1. I don’t think there are any differences between British and American English.

2. I can’t agree with you. There are quite a few differences between them, to my knowledge.

1. One can’t get the Bachelor’s degree after graduating from a Liberal Arts College. 2. There’s no difference between the Master’s degree and the PhD. 3. The American system of education is centralized. 4. To my knowledge, all colleges and universities in the USA are private. 5. I don’t think there are any differences between colleges and universities. 6. As far as I know, the oldest American university is the University of California. 7. I think American students plan their academic programs themselves. 8.I don’t think there are any differences between Russian and American systems of higher education.

Ex. 4. Answer the questions.

1. What American elite universities do you know?

2. What kind of higher educational institutions are there in the USA?

3. What degrees do colleges and universities grant?

4. How do high school students prepare to go to college or university?

5. What is the role of the adviser?

6. How is the students’ progress evaluated?

Ex. 5. Discussion points.

1. Describe the differences, if any, in structures of Russian and American universities (colleges).

2. Describe the differences in evaluating the student’s performance in Russia and the United States.

3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the American system of higher education.

Ex. 6. Compare the system of higher education in your country with the American system of higher education in the form of the dialogues.

1. Range of higher institutions.

2. Applying for admission.

3. System of evaluation.

4. Structure of university.

5. Advantages and disadvantages of higher educational systems.