Robert J. Dickey |
By Robert J. Dickey
Once again the state-run national university entrance examination has claimed the lives of high school students. Fearing that they have not matched the expectations of their families, teachers and friends, these teens kill themselves. But for over 670,000 other testers this year, preparation for the College Scholastic Aptitude (Ability) Test has stolen years of their youth.
The English portion of the test has once again been attacked as unfair, questions in all parts of the test have been challenged, and no doubt we will again learn of test cheats. Test proctors, too, are accused of failing to monitor tests adequately, or creating disturbances during the testing period.
A testing administrator claimed that the English test was relatively easier this year; yet, test-takers claimed it was harder than the practice questions they got from last year's test.
For those of us who live, teach and study in Korea, we must again ask ourselves: What's going on? How can we fix this mess?
High stakes
Korea's university entrance exam is the ultimate high-stakes test. It is, for some, literally "life or death." Aircraft, trains and, even private businesses adjust their schedules on test day to reduce disruptions to candidates.
Scores from the test day are the sole, or major, consideration for admission in over 75 percent of all Korean universities.
Nearly every high school senior took this test on Nov. 12. Most now feel their high school careers are over despite the fact that the school calendar runs until February.
Yet university entrance tests in other countries, such as the SAT in the United States, do not carry such influence. Other countries, such as the U.K., don't use a standardized university test at all.
Korea is moving toward multifaceted assessment of university admission, including written essays, non-academic experience, interviews and student diversity. But we aren't there yet.
Entrance to an excellent school is still considered the golden path to future lifelong success in Korea. Many top-ranked universities here consider the state-run university entrance test the principle factor in admission. One point in the wrong direction could ruin a student's dreams.
Entrance-Based society
Korea, unlike many Western countries, is an entrance-based society. Translations of self-introductions are a clue: "I entered ABC university" rather than "I graduated from." This has important ramifications on how tests are interpreted.
Admission becomes the most important factor in a land where 97 percent of all who enter university become graduates. (Approximately 50 percent of those who enter university in the U.S. will ultimately graduate, but perhaps from a different school.)
Korean educational culture is fundamentally different from Western schooling. Test washback is not a factor, it is THE factor, in classroom planning. Washback refers to how tests dictate the curriculum. Culminating tests are largely irrelevant; the focus is on the next entrance (or license) exam.
As in many countries, Korea's national secondary school curriculum does not match the university entrance test. This becomes all the more worrisome, considering the same organization - the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Examination - is responsible for the test, national curriculum and textbooks.
Teach-Test Mismatch
English is a good example of the curriculum/university entrance test conflict. High school teachers, students and their families, are caught in the middle.
As in many countries, the national curriculum is prospective in nature. Authorities identify societal needs and design classroom study to meet those needs. So, for example, the English curriculum has grown more communicative with more speaking, listening and reading on a life-skills basis.
University entrance tests, however, target academic skills and understanding of core concepts for further learning. They assess ability to succeed in the future classroom.
In countries where fewer high school graduates attend university, such a mismatch is acceptable. For example, it is generally understood in the U.S. that the SAT "cannot be taught" because it is a test of learning skills and understandings that have been developed over a dozen years of schooling.
Koreans, however, believe that all students should study for the CSAT
Education inflation
In modern Korea, nearly all high school graduates are expected to attend university or college. This is a dramatic shift from 30 years ago, when fewer than 20 percent of all high school graduates attended post-secondary academies.
Students and families rate the success of their teacher based on how well the teacher prepares students for the university entrance test.
Not surprisingly, teachers ignore the national curriculum and state-approved textbooks to focus on test-items. Non-test subjects may be abandoned by their teachers in favor of silent study of SAT materials. Third year high school English classes typically focus on test-type questions, rather than communicative skills. Textbooks are ignored.
In response to the English study issue, the government has announced plans to remove English from the CSAT as early as 2013. A new pass/fail "Communicative English" test is planned for Korea. It is unclear, though, whether such a test would satisfy the needs of universities, which may select as few as one in 10 applicants, and who consider the ability to understand academic materials presented in English, such as foreign textbooks and journals, as the most important skill for educational success.
Testing Lives
Cram schools are abound. Some have estimated that over one quarter of a family's income goes to test preparation for a single child. No wonder family sizes are shrinking!
The recent reversal, from "levels" ranking (top 4 percent, next 7 percent, etc) back to pure percentiles (top 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, etc) was driven by university complaints that the levels system didn't provide sufficient differentiation. Universities distrusted new "grade inflation" from the high schools and "paper mills" generating reports of students' community service. So, back to traditional testing.
The problem repeats itself in university, where students stop studying in their classes to prepare for various licenses and exams in preparation for the ultimate test: the job hunt.
rjdickey@content-english.org
The writer has taught in Korea for over 15 years. He is an assistant professor at Keimyung University, where he teaches public administration and English, and the past-president of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL), the largest multicultural English teachers' professional society in Korea.
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