Proposal to stop the policy of combined exams for grade 10

(Baonghean.vn) - If the above policy is implemented, Nghe An will contribute to prolonging the situation of organizing heavy, unscientific entrance exams, creating great pressure on students and parents, going against the policy of reducing the exam load that the Ministry of Education and Training has persistently implemented for many years.

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During the 2016-2017 school year summary and the 2017-2018 school year task deployment as well as at the press conference before the new school year, the leaders of Nghe An Department of Education and Training affirmed that from the 2018-2019 school year entrance exam to grade 10, Nghe An Department of Education and Training will use a combination test format, specifically a set of 3 tests, including 2 independent tests (Math, Literature) and 1 combination test in the form of objective multiple choice; students will take the test on the multiple choice answer sheet. The results of students' test results on the multiple choice answer sheet are graded by computer software.

Nghe An candidates attend the 10th grade entrance exam.

As we understand, when proposing the option of selecting the entrance exams for grade 10 high school, giving the policy and clearly defining the orientation of the content of the entrance exam for grade 10 in the way mentioned above, Nghe An Department of Education and Training also had a positive view on innovating the exam and evaluating students' learning outcomes, with the desire to:

1. Let students gradually get used to the test format similar to the future test format when schools implement the new general education curriculum and textbooks. Textbooks compiled according to the new general education curriculum will be an "integrated" curriculum.

2. Avoid the situation of rote learning and lopsided learning that has been going on for decades in general schools: schools give less importance to subjects that are not tested, focusing too much time on studying and reviewing subjects chosen to be included in the tests.

3. Select the content of the 10th grade entrance exam, including 3 exams, including 1 combined exam (the subjects selected for knowledge testing can include three subjects, or many subjects will be announced near the end of the school year, which will contribute to motivating students to study comprehensively in the spirit of Resolution 29 on "Comprehensive fundamental innovation of Education and Training...").

4. Wish Nghe An Education and Training is also among the leading provinces in innovating teaching quality assessment and exam assessment such as Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen.

5. Machine-based grading will create objectivity and fairness in the evaluation of many subjects in the combined exam to accurately measure the results of many subjects for each student, leading to a more quality selection of students for grade 10.

However, in our opinion, the policy of choosing one of the three entrance exams for grade 10 this school year to have a combined exam is unreasonable. It is unreasonable in the following aspects:

Up to now and certainly in the future, the selection of exam formats for high school graduation recognition exams and the selection of exams for entrance exams (admission to first-grade classes and admission to universities and colleges) will have different capacities because the two exams have different goals: Taking the results of many exams to consider graduation and only selecting some exam content (some exams for admission to grade 10 and admission to universities and colleges...).

Ensuring the comprehensive education concept for students has been implemented by the Education sector for decades, but comprehensive education does not mean that any provincial or national exam requires students to take many exams. Because if understood correctly and looked closely, the principle of "Comprehensive Education" has been demonstrated in the construction of the program and the compilation of textbooks.

In exams, assessing the quality of students' learning at the end of each level and at the end of the school year. When assessing the results of a school year or at the end of a level, it is necessary to base on the learning results of all subjects and aspects of moral training and life skills of students during the school year and at the end of the level.

The entrance exam for grade 10 or university entrance exam is based on the graduation exam results and is a streaming test, so it is only necessary to organize a more concise exam, but it is not possible to organize a heavy exam that causes more pressure on parents and students. Therefore, the entrance exam for grade 10 or a separate entrance exam for college and university (if the National High School Exam that has been done in recent years is abolished), it is only necessary to choose a number of subjects representing the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and foreign languages.

Only then can exams comprehensively assess students' learning outcomes and reduce pressure on learners. Moreover, if we apply a combination of tests, it is still not a suitable policy to anticipate the assessment of teaching quality when we implement a new teaching program with integrated subjects. Because "combining subjects" is not "integrating knowledge in a subject" that the new textbooks will aim for.

Putting the combined exam as one of the three exams for admission to grade 10 is not an effective solution to eliminate the situation of rote learning and lopsided learning in the final grades. The most effective solution to eliminate this situation is the solution applied to educational managers at all levels. At this point, if any principal or manager allows the situation of rote learning and lopsided learning to occur, reducing time from other subjects to spend time teaching and reviewing for exam subjects, the Education and Training sector must handle and strictly discipline those principals, and cannot completely blame the students for rote learning and lopsided learning.

With the above mentioned, we propose to stop the policy of adding a combined test to the 10th grade entrance exam in the next school year. Because if the above policy is implemented, Nghe An will contribute to prolonging the situation of organizing heavy and unscientific entrance exams, creating great pressure for students and parents, going against the policy of reducing the exam load that the Ministry of Education and Training has persistently implemented over the past many years. If not done properly, organizing the 10th grade entrance exam will be more difficult than university and college admissions./.

MasterNguyen Dinh Anh

(Former Head of Vocational Education Department - Nghe An Department of Education and Training)