From AFT on the WWW
Posted with permission of http://www.aft.org
       A Comparison of Education Systems for College-Bound Students
Perhaps the most striking finding from our research has nothing to do with
which country's exams are hardest, but rather with how many youngsters take
them.
Every country but the United States manages to bring a significant number
of students up to the level of performance demanded by the exams in this
volume. Approximately one-third to one-half of the age cohort in England
and Wales, France, Germany and Japan take advanced subject-specific exams
like the ones shown here (though not necessarily in biology). In sharp
contrast, only 7 percent of U.S. 18-year-olds take one or more AP exams.
Some like to downplay the high standards reached by students in other
countries by labeling those systems as elitist. But this claim is difficult
to justify in light of the numbers. As the graph shows, from one-quarter to
over one-third of the age cohort in every country but the United States is
able to meet the high standards reflected in these exams. Only the AP is
reached by an elite number. (It is important to note, however, that the AP
exams are offered in fewer than half of the high schools in the United
States and - unlike the other examinations in this book - they are not
required for university entrance.)
How do these countries prepare so many students to take these exams? Is
there anything that we in the United States can learn from them? Indeed,
there are some basic ingredients in the education systems of these
countries that differ from practices in the United States, and these
elements are well worth noting. But as a 1991 study by the Office of
Technology Assessment cautioned, "whether or not the examination systems
introduced to the USA would work in the same way as they do in Europe and,
in particular, whether or not they would impact on educational standards
are matters that require serious consideration."
National Coordination of Curricula, Assessments and Incentives
In each country except the United States, college-bound students know that
if they want to study in a university they will have to pass a demanding
set of exams. Furthermore, their course of study in secondary school is
strongly tied to these exams. This reality serves as a powerful incentive
for students to work hard and take school seriously. It also gives them,
their parents and their teachers something tangible to aim for.
In the United States, by contrast, a high school diploma is normally
conferred based on taking a certain number of courses, not on reaching a
particular standard of achievement. Although a few states, including New
York and California, administer voluntary exams that may influence
university admission and are tied to the curriculum covered in high school,
there are no exams that all students nationwide must pass in order to be
eligible for university study. Admission standards vary from institution to
institution to the extent that some open-enrollment colleges and
universities permit almost any student to attend. Unless students are among
the few who plan on applying to highly selective institutions, there are no
external incentives encouraging them to work hard and do well in difficult
courses. This is markedly different from the incentives their European and
Japanese counterparts face.
Central to each of these successful foreign systems is a clear relationship
between the curricula and the exams. If schools are to prepare students to
do well on a set of high-stakes exams, these exams must test what is
covered in the curriculum. This is also essential to a meaningful incentive
system for students. Students who see a link between what they are learning
each day in school and the exams they will eventually need to take are
likely to be motivated to concentrate on their schoolwork.
Three of the four foreign countries examined in this volume - England and
Wales, France and Japan - have national curricula (developed by the
national government) that describe, with varying degrees of specificity,
the subject matter that students should be exposed to during their
elementary and secondary years. In each of these countries, the key
assessments taken by students throughout their educational careers are tied
to the curriculum.
Although there is no national curriculum in Germany, and each Land (or
state) exercises authority over education within its boundaries, the link
between what is taught and what is tested is strong. In the case of the
Abitur, it is the teachers themselves who are responsible for coming up
with the questions for the exams in most L+nder. However, in doing so they
are expected to follow guidelines set at the state and national levels by
various governmental bodies. This arrangement serves both to maintain some
comparability of curricula and exams across the country, and to ensure that
exams of such importance are firmly rooted in the curriculum taught by the
teacher. It is also testimony to the significant trust and responsibility
vested in German teachers.
[continued next message]
Chuck Beams
Fidonet - 1:2608/70
cbeams@future.dreamscape.com
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