I am currently
teaching ESL at a middle school in the Korean public school system. Korea has
been constantly performing at a high level on global standardized tests in
recent years, especially on the PISA (Programme for International Student
Assessment). Korea and other Asian education systems like Singapore, Hong Kong
and Japan have dominated the top of the rankings along with one European
country, Finland. Living and working in Korea for the past 3 years has taught
me a lot about the rewards and consequences
of living in a high-pressure society that places so much importance on
standardized testing.
The “수능” (Suneung) is the infamous Korean entrance
exam that all Korean high school students take in the fall of their senior
year. This single standardized test score will determine what university a
student can receive admittance from. Since it is only offered once a year, over
20% of students will delay university to retake the test and try for a better
score (Hu, 2015). The SKY universities (Seoul, Korea, Yonsei) are well known
for being the best universities in the nation and only take the top scores
every year. Admittance into one of these universities usually means a job with
one of the mega conglomerates of the Korean economy, like Samsung, Hyundai, or
LG. The Suneung is known as being the most important test a Korean will take,
placing an insane amount of pressure on the Korean youth starting as early as
elementary school. Korean students are known to start preparing for the exam as
early as 1st grade by attending after school academic academies
called “학완” (hagwons). Korean middle
school students spend an average of 12 hours a day studying between normal
school hours and attending hagwons after school and on weekends. South Korean
families spend more than any other nation in the world on education with an
average of 15% of their total income going towards extra academic resources
(Dalporto, 2016). On the day of the Suneung, businesses open one hour late to
keep traffic of the roads. Local police stations offer free escorts to students
running late. Planes are rerouted and delayed to help reduce noise and
distractions around test centers. In the week leading up to the test, Buddhist
temples are often overflowing with praying parents. Underclassmen are known to
form cheering squads that line the streets of towns, shouting encouragements
and banging on pots and pan the morning of the test. I remember walking to work
my year in Korean and being astonished at the sight of it all.
Because such importance is placed on education in
the Korean society, teaching is one of the most respected career paths one can
choose. While Korean teachers work very long hours and have an enormous amount
of paperwork, they are rewarded with high social status and job security.
Teaching is one of the most secures jobs in Korea and it’s virtually unheard of
to be fired based on student performance. Despite being such a difficult job to
obtain (only 5% of applicants gain acceptance into a teacher-training program
or university) it’s still one of the top career choices for young Koreans. A
long summer and winter break, plentiful bonuses, job security, and good
government benefits (health insurance and pension) are just some of the perks
teachers in Korea enjoy. If you compare this to the teaching profession in the U.S., the differences are startling. American teachers are often evaluated on how well their students perform on standardized tests and are not considered to be on the same level of society as doctors, lawyers, and other high salary occupations.
Because of Korea’s success on standardize testing,
U.S. policy makers have taken notice and tried to emulate it. The No Student
Left Behind Act is good example of standardized testing policies being put into
place that are good in theory but can have severe consequences to students.
While the U.S. routinely places in the middle on PISA results, it’s important
to weigh the cost of getting to top. The pressure Korean students feel to succeed
is almost unparalleled. Due to the heavy influence of Confucianism, Korea is a
collective society and individual failure reflects badly on the whole family.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Korean youth (age 15-24). Students
often don’t get home from late night study sessions until midnight and are up
again at 5 a.m. the next morning.
Are the results of a standardized test worth robbing
students of their childhood? And what exactly are these standardized tests
evaluating? Standardized tests often emphasize memorization over critical
thinking and application to real-world knowledge (Badke, 2015). Korea’s
Ministry of Education just recently announced a plan to reduce the amount of
summative testing in middle schools by promoting “free-semesters.” These
free-semesters will encourage students to experience learning activities
outside of the classroom by taking field trips and doing job shadowing. These
activities will take the place of mid-term and final exams in the second
semester of each school year.
As you can see, there are differences and
similarities between Korea and the U.S. when it comes to standardize testing.
While countries use high-stakes testing, Korean culture and society places more
emphasis on the results. Even though Koreans are continually scoring at the top
of the PISA, the costs are not worth it in my opinion. However, there is one
thing that that U.S. should take away from Korea and that’s the mind set they
have towards teachers. Even though standardized testing is so important, a teacher’s
value is not determined by the student’s results. They are rewarded with a safe
job, good salary, and well-respected in society.
Cited Works
Badke, William. The Conversation Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/what-can-the-us-learn-from-south-koreas-testing-pressures-40365
03 June 2016.
Dalporto, David. South Korea’s School Success
Retrieved from http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/04/01/south-korea-s-school-success
03 June 2016
Hu, Elise. Even the Planes Stop Flying Retrieved
from http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/11/12/455708201/even-the-planes-stop-flying-for-south-koreas-national-exam-day
03 June 2016
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