One out of 10 secondary students rated 'deficient' in nationwide exam

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- About 10 percent of students in ninth and 10th grade
do not meet basic academic standards, the results of a government-led test showed
Monday.

The standardized exam was conducted in October last year on some 1.96 million
students -- 650,000 sixth graders, 660,000 ninth graders and 650,000 10th graders
-- and covered such subjects as Korean language, mathematics, English, science,
and social studies.
It was the first such exam conducted on all students from a certain grade, rather
than testing two or three percent of students as a representative sample.
Students are classified into three groups based on their scores in each subject,
with those earning the highest scores placed in the advanced group, those earning
average scores placed into the basic level and students with the lowest scores
ranked as deficient.
According to the report by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology,
10.4 percent of ninth graders, or 69,000 middle school seniors, and 9 percent of
10th graders, or 44,000 high school freshmen, were rated as deficient in key
subjects.
Students with a 'deficient' ranking have difficulties adapting to the next grade
without additional tutoring due to their poor academic achievement.
Only 2.4 percent of sixth graders, or 15,000, were placed in the deficient category.
The study also revealed a noticeable gap in the quality of education children in
the capital Seoul and other big cities receive compared to their counterparts in
more rural areas.
In Seoul's wealthy Gangnam district, over 95 percent of sixth graders were rated
advanced in English language, while only 50 percent of students in the rural
county of Gokseong, South Jeolla Province, reached the advanced level. Students
in Gangnam also displayed outstanding results in other subjects.
The ministry said it would come up with measures to support students in lower
achieving areas to upgrade their overall competitiveness, including plans to
penalize schools who obtain unsatisfactory results in the next aptitude test
scheduled for 2011.
The nationwide exam is aimed at assessing students' scholastic level and
providing objective material for future educational policy, according to the
education ministry.
But many teachers and parents remain skeptical about the uniform exam, which they
say will only rank schools and therefore broaden the gap between schools in rich
areas and those in poorer areas.
"This test is designed to narrow the educational gap. We will be able to support
students who cannot catch up with the regular school curriculum based on the
exam's objective results," Minister of Education Ahn Byung-man said. "We
encourage schools and students to strive to enhance the quality of all students."
brk@yna.co.kr
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