Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Entrance examination system is not working the way | Breaking News | 20160101 | Apple Daily

Entrance examination system is not working the way | Breaking News | 20160101 | Apple Daily:

Entrance examination system is not working the way

Author: Li Yang (General Federation of National Union of Teachers Professional Development Fellow)
 
Current Taiwan filled with a strong "self intimidation" atmosphere.
 
Recently, presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen proposed a "comprehensive school plan, implement school district enrollment system" politics. The results immediately jumped out to a group of people, vigorously attacked, intimidated repeal elitism is to say the overall level of national mediocrity, will therefore result in a loss to the competitiveness of Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, if the political folly, if not pursue elitism like waiting subjugation and genocide.
 
However, I believe that this argument has at least two open to question:
 
1. This "self-intimidation" argument make sense?Furthermore, there is hard evidence it?
 
2. The abolition of elitism really will lead the country's competitiveness declined? Or say, elitist and entrance examination system is workable way?
 
First of all, talk about the right of self-intimidation.
 
Many people intimidate Taiwan if the abolition of elitism, it will lead to declining competitiveness, thus far behind to China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. This argument I can not help but think of the 1983's the United States had a similar situation occurs. At that time, the Cold War is still in the Reagan administration (Ronald Reagan) released a report entitled "Country (A Nation at Risk) in a crisis," the report pointed out that the US public school education is extremely poor, resulting in the United States faced the Japan, South Korea, Germany and other rising star and beyond, lost its hegemony in the world crisis, which is equivalent to the seriousness of the war. According to the analysis internationally renowned educators Yong Zhao and Diane Ravitch, and this just released that is causing an unprecedented panic the American people as a direct result of the report several results:
 
1. cause people to lose confidence in the public school education;
 
2. The cause people to fail identified public schools education is the culprit cast recession;
 
3. induce people see education as security issues;
 
4. urge the public think that entrepreneurs are more suitable for the operation of education than educators, resulting in enterprise management education toward the direction of development;
 
5. The cause people and policy-makers believe enhance test scores are the only way to save the public school education, and enhance the examination results is the best way to implement more standardized tests, as well as increase the difficulty of the test;
 
6. copies of the report to become the federal government to intervene in local education basis.
 
And of the factors described above, but also indirectly contributed to the "No Child Left Behind (No Child Left Behinf, NCLB)" 2002 å¹´ President Bush (George W. Bush) tenure of birth bill, making the United States had not emphasized this exam, importance of multiple intelligences, development and respect for national differences in individual potential, and transformed into the East Asian countries to implement elitist system of entrance examinations in line, focus on test scores and international rankings, as well as to stifle individual traits of collective test machine.
 
If in accordance with "national crisis" on the argument of the report, the United States should long ago lost position as a world hegemony in the mediocre public school education, but after the report came in 1983 to 2002 18 years before the passage of NCLB room, the United States did not lose the status of world hegemony, but still in the skilled superior ethics. But when the federal government to develop Blackhand by NCLB Act of 2002, local government education official interference, the United States is still weak in the international educational competitions, but also forced the closure of thousands of schools, and thousands of teachers and principals leaving, and even broke out in the history of the most embarrassing cheating scandal: hundreds of staff suspected tampering and fabrication student test data, and finally was sentenced. Even President Obama set a "peak towards the project (RTTT), and resorted to immunity plan, an attempt to defeat 缓颊 NCLB, but not hope in vain, even their own RTTT also the Secretary of Education resigned in bankruptcy.
 
From the above we can see, only hypothetical discussion to "self-intimidation" to think some kind of policy will lead to countries in crisis, not only unwarranted, it is unwise lack of hard evidence, and may even lead to countries in crisis is the culprit.
 
Then, come to talk about elitism and entrance examination system in the end line is not feasible.
 
Country here, we might as well take a look at PISA 2012 tells us something! According to the OECD's latest PISA 2012 results show, China (Shanghai), Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to pursue these studies elitism and examination system in addition to the total test score among the best in the "level of student achievement gap," "excellent achievement gap between disadvantaged students", "inter-school achievement gap" and the "average student achievement gap between" these indicators to measure equity performance is not education ideal. In particular, Taiwan's performance is very odd miserable, in addition to the total test score ranked No. 5, the performance of the remaining four indicators are down at the last one, that is, in 65 countries to participate in them, and Taiwan is the worst educational equity country.
 
Is not that strange?
 
If elitism and entrance examination system works, then why implementing elitism and entrance examination system of China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan competitions in the equity of education is not satisfactory? Especially Taiwan, elitism and examination system studies have been carried out for many years, why education equity worse? Many Taiwanese are not all day shouting entrance examination system is only the most fair?The result of this "most fair" system has created a most unfair educational achievement, how did this happen? If elitism is the right way, if the entrance exam system is the fairest option, why would Taiwan's educational achievement so unfair?
 
So the fact that has been very clear: elitism and entrance exam system simply does not work the way. 
Since the self-intimidation argument makes no sense, why do we continue to be deceived forever?Since elitism and entrance examination system has been a dead end, why do we continue to stubbornly go on it? That being the case, why not change ideas, change direction, to yourself, to others, but also to Taiwan a chance to try it?
Entrance examination system is not working the way | Breaking News | 20160101 | Apple Daily: