'There's nothing wrong with student rankings'

Many teachers believe that ranking students helps track results and motivates competition, so there is nothing wrong with it, it just shouldn't be made public.

At the end of the first semester last year, Huy, now an 11th grader in Ha Nam, achieved an average score of 7.8, ranking 19th out of 42 students in his class. This result was read out by his homeroom teacher at the parent-teacher meeting, along with a detailed transcript.

Huy was not shocked by this result because he knew his own ability. But Huy's mother was surprised when her son lost his title of excellent student and his score was much lower than the neighbors' children.

"I was scolded a lot. My whole family expected me to do better," Huy recalled, adding that this was not new because he had been ranked since middle school.

Gia Binh, a 12th grader in Bac Giang, is ranked every three months. Binh’s school will add up the scores from the three mock exams based on the university entrance exam combination and then rank them from top to bottom. Binh registered for the D01 combination (Math, Literature, English) with nearly 400 students, usually in the 100th-150th position, while the goal is top 70.

"Every time I can't do an exam, I can't eat or sleep. When the results come out, my parents will nag me," Binh said.

Abolishing the ranking and announcement at parent meetings was a proposal by Mr. Pham Khac Chung, principal of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School, Dak Nong Province, at the Happy School discussion at the end of October. Mr. Chung said that parents all want their children to study well and have high rankings, but not all children have academic strengths. Ranking and public announcement hurt students, putting pressure on them and their families.

According to a survey conducted by VnExpress on October 21, 70% of more than 2,700 respondents supported this. However, many teachers believe that ranking students is not a bad thing, on the contrary, it is a tool to monitor students' academic performance and create motivation to compete, the problem is how to do it.

Survey results conducted by VnExpress from October 21 to 31. Screenshot

The principal of a secondary school in Ba Dinh district, Hanoi, acknowledged that any activity needs to be evaluated.

"Countries also have rankings to know where they stand compared to the world. Why not education?", he raised the issue.

Agreeing, Ms. Van Thuy Duong, Principal of Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School, Hanoi, said that "without pressure, there are no diamonds". According to her, education should not always be about comforting and completely abandoning competition.

"Work always has deadlines, rankings, and rewards. If we don't prepare students for these things, how will they face real life?", Ms. Duong said.

For example, in the exam for 200 students, where 2,000 students registered, Ms. Duong said that many people often say 1 vs 10, but in reality, to be admitted, students must be ranked from 1 to 200. Or when establishing a team of excellent students, teachers must also base on screening tests to select the students with the highest scores. Therefore, ranking always exists in education and cannot be completely eliminated.

In many countries, ranking students based on their grades is still common and meaningful in high school. In the United States, for example, public schools often have two rankings, one by school and one by state. Students who do better will go to better schools or receive more financial aid. Some American universities also have specific requirements for students' class or school rankings.

A grade 10 student's final report card, distributed to parents during the first semester end meeting of the 2023-2024 school year. Photo: Provided by parents

In fact, in Vietnam, ranking students is not a mandatory requirement of the Ministry of Education and Training or any locality. However, schools still have student ranking data to monitor learning outcomes and make assessments.

Ms. Nguyen Boi Quynh, Principal of Viet Duc High School, Hanoi, said that without this data, teachers would not know which students are making progress and which students need to try harder in order to have timely and appropriate educational measures. This data is also meaningful in advising students to choose a university that is within their ability.

This is also Ms. Thuy Duong's opinion. However, the appropriate way, according to Ms. Quynh and Ms. Duong, is that instead of publicly announcing the list of the whole class and then distributing it to parents, teachers can notify each student and their parents separately.

"We are determined not to make students and their families feel ashamed or embarrassed. Teachers must be there to share, because if students feel afraid and distant from teachers, it will be very difficult to implement positive educational measures," said Ms. Duong.

Ms. Thu Oanh, the mother of a 6th grader in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, is also comfortable knowing her child's ranking through the learning tracking software. After each test, the teacher will notify her to check.

"I think ranking is normal, so that children know to try harder, on the condition that the school does not announce or comment publicly, to avoid comparisons between children or parents," said Ms. Oanh.

Students line up in the yard of Tran Dai Nghia High School before entering the exam room, competing for a place in grade 6, June 2022. Photo: Thu Huong

If the ranking is still maintained, Hoang Huy also hopes that this will only be announced privately to parents.

"If I announce it privately, I won't be compared to my friends, but I'll still be scolded if I don't meet expectations," Huy admitted.

Principals say it is important for teachers to work closely with parents, providing positive coaching, rather than being quick to scold children when they receive less-than-desirable results.

"If you always criticize your child about their academic results, keeping or removing their ranking is meaningless," said a principal in Ba Dinh district.

Thanh Hang - Le Nguyen

*Student's name has been changed

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/xep-hang-hoc-sinh-khong-co-gi-xau-4672642.html