Need suitable solution

However, randomly drawing the third subject for the 10th grade entrance exam is new, unprecedented, and risky, especially in disadvantaged areas. Therefore, there needs to be a suitable roadmap and solution.

Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the Draft Circular amending and supplementing the regulations on admission to secondary and high schools. Accordingly, regarding the 10th grade entrance exam method, there are 3 subjects including math, literature and the 3rd subject randomly drawn by the Department of Education and Training from among the subjects that count for points in the secondary school program such as foreign languages, natural sciences, history and geography, civics, information technology, and technology.

CURRENT REGULATIONS ON SECONDARY AND HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT STILL HAVE MANY INADEQUACIES

Since 2006, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued the Regulations on Secondary and High School Admissions under Decision No. 12/2006/QD-BGD-DT dated April 5, 2006. According to this regulation, there are 3 methods of high school admissions: Selection, entrance exam, and combination of selection and selection. Applying this regulation, localities have been proactive in choosing appropriate admission methods to the practical situation, reducing the pressure of exams, extra teaching and learning for secondary school graduates.

This year, 9th grade students will take the 10th grade exam, which is expected to have many changes in accordance with the 2018 General Education Program.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

Need to consider carefully when removing the combined exam option

In the draft of the High School Admission Regulations, the Ministry of Education and Training only retains two options: admission and entrance exams, and no longer has the option of combining entrance exams and admission as before. According to education experts, combining is also a good option, because it combines process assessment (report card scores) and assessment at one point in time. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training also needs to consider carefully when removing the combination option.

In terms of admission, the admission score includes the total score calculated based on the results of training and studying for 4 years in secondary school and additional points for those who enjoy preferential policies and incentive points.

Regarding the entrance exam, there are 3 written subjects, including math, literature and a 3rd subject chosen from the remaining subjects of the secondary school program. The Director of the Department of Education and Training selects and announces the 3rd subject at least 15 days before the end of the school year.

Regarding the combination of entrance exams and admission, there are 2 subjects: math and literature, each subject is calculated on a scale of 10, then multiplied by a coefficient of 2, combined with the academic score, conduct of 4 years of middle school, priority points, and encouragement points.

After nearly 20 years of implementing the 2006 admission regulations, it has been shown that each admission method has different advantages and disadvantages. The admission method reduces the pressure of exams, but leads to students losing motivation to study and creating negativity in teaching and learning. Therefore, after many years of applying admission, many localities have returned to the exam to improve the quality of secondary education. The advantage of the admission method is that it creates motivation for students to study, reducing negativity in testing and assessment. However, most localities choose foreign languages ​​as the third subject, leading to students learning by rote and learning skewedly. And leading to extra teaching and learning of 3 exam subjects from grade 6.

The combination of entrance exams and admission has the advantage of combining both on-time and process assessment. However, it also leads to a focus on two subjects: math and literature, and some places are negative in student assessment.

TOWARDS COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION

The 2018 General Education Program (GPEP) focuses on developing qualities and abilities, along with discovering and nurturing talents and providing career guidance for each individual student. GPEP is divided into two stages: basic education (primary and secondary school) and career guidance (high school). The educational goal and the division into two main stages are to realize the Party's educational goal, as defined in Resolution No. 29/NQ-TW, which is: "Ensuring that students with a junior high school degree (after grade 9) have basic general knowledge, meeting the requirements of strong streaming after junior high school; high school students must approach careers and prepare for quality post-secondary education".

To acquire basic knowledge and skills, develop qualities and abilities, at the secondary level, students study compulsory subjects and educational activities. To acquire basic knowledge and skills, schools, teachers and students need to focus on all subjects, not overemphasizing one subject and underestimating another. If at the secondary level, students neglect certain subjects, and then later in high school do not choose to study these subjects, it will lead to a situation where the quality of education for the post-secondary stage cannot be improved.

Focusing on the goal of comprehensive secondary education is a common trend of world education, valuing and constantly improving the quality of basic education. The Program for Assessment of Student Competency for 15-year-olds (PISA) also aims at this goal.

Therefore, with the entrance exam plan, in which the third subject is randomly drawn by the Department of Education and Training, all subjects have the opportunity to be selected for the exam. This requires schools, teachers and students to focus on improving the quality of all subjects, not prioritizing one subject and neglecting another. Thus, the drawing of the third subject will aim for universality, comprehensiveness and fairness among subjects for secondary school level.

Draft circular amending and supplementing the regulations on secondary and high school admissions, the 10th grade entrance exam is expected to include 3 subjects: math, literature and a 3rd subject randomly drawn by the Department of Education and Training from among the subjects with scores in the secondary school program.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

RANDOM DRAWINGS NEED CAUTION

However, the drawing of lots for a third subject may lead to some difficulties for some localities and disadvantages for foreign languages, when English is aimed at being the second language used in schools.

First of all, it is due to the fact that some localities lack teachers and teaching equipment with information technology, so the quality of teaching and learning these two subjects is not the same among schools. The exam questions for these two subjects are very new, so it will be difficult for some localities.

Second, foreign languages ​​(mainly English) are not a fixed subject as before, leading to a decrease in the quality of teaching and learning this subject, affecting the goal of improving the quality of foreign languages ​​for international integration.

Third, if randomly drawn into integrated subjects such as natural sciences or history and geography, students will have to study very hard, because the knowledge students have to review for the exam is in 5 areas (math, literature, physics, chemistry, biology) or 4 areas (math, literature, history, geography).

To limit the above risks and disadvantages, in the high school admission regulations, it is necessary to affirm that randomly drawing lots for the third exam subject is necessary and suitable for the goal of achieving basic general education level for junior high school graduates.

However, it is not necessary to require all localities to draw all 6 subjects, but the number of subjects included in the draw must be 4 or more, and after 3 years of study, all 6 subjects must be included.

It is necessary to overcome the situation where students do not study if they do not take exams or study whatever they take for exams. Therefore, schools, teachers, students and parents must attach equal importance to all subjects, because all subjects lead to students' success, not just math, literature or foreign languages.

For integrated natural science or history-geography subjects, organize teaching and learning to improve quality and gradually change the perspective that integrated subjects are one subject with many sub-subjects, such as math with algebra and geometry, not many subjects in an integrated subject.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/boc-tham-mon-thi-thu-3-vao-lop-10-can-giai-phap-phu-hop-185241008222254096.htm