Do Not Experiment with Our Educational System

Do Not Experiment with Our Educational System
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
July 15, 2011

The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination has been held for the first time. The "high scores, low achievement" phenomenon, and the "second round admissions" process have provoked ongoing discontent. Some parents are demanding that the government compensate them for applicants' second round admissions, The Control Yuan will investigate, Some people even think the exam might influence the outcome of the 2012 election. How should one solve this problem? Should Taipei, Xinbei, and Keelung increase the number of applicants admitted? For the answer, we must await the results of the second round admissions process on the 15th of this month.

The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination has provoked a major uproar. One reason is that the threshold for admission to certain schools are inappropriate. Another is that Taipei City educational institutions are technically deficient. But the core problem is widespread preconceptions about the ranking of high schools on Taiwan. The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination may help promote 12 year national compulsory education. If the 12 year national compulsory education reforms are to succeed, one of the keys will be the attitude of parents, applicants, high schools, and particularly elite high schools.

The motives behind the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination were good. The exam reduces applicant anxiety. Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung County launched a '“one guideline, one textbook, joint examination." This differed from the “one guideline, multiple textbooks” national examination. The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination offers examination-free admissions. On the basis of Basic Competency Test results, applicants may apply for admission, select their school, and register. But the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination this year was more difficult. Applicants' average scores fell. Senior high schools based admissions on past performance. Either that, or they hoped to attract better students through higher scores. As a result, this year some Taipei Xinbei Keelung high schools set higher thresholds for admission. This led to the so-called "high scores, low achievement" problem.

Once the admissions process was over, schools proceeded with second phase registration and enrollment. Some candidates learned that because their admission scores were higher than their previous grades, the same score, would not have enabled them to enter a school during first round admissions, but would have during second round admissions. First round applicants and parents were extremely unhappy, They chose schools with lower scores. Had they applied using the applicant's previous grades, they might have gotten into a higher ranking school.

The Taipei Xinbei Keelung "high scores, low achievement" phenomenon has been a source of constant controversy. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin decided to solve the problem by means of a "second round admissions" process. Taipei, Xinbei, and Keelung have allocated over 2000 places to applicants who consider themselves victims of the "high score, low achievement" phenomenon. By doing so, Taipei, Xinbei, and Keelung have pleased one party only to displease another. Applicants with "high scores, low achievements" hope to get into a higher ranking school. But the results of second round admissions could impact students retaking the Basic Competency Tests. The places remaining after the Taipei Xinbei Keelung admissions process, would have gone to students retaking the Basic Competency Tests. The Taipei Xinbei Keelung second round of admissions may use up some of those places. They may reduce opportunities for students retaking the Basic Competency Tests. Some students retaking the Basic Competency Tests and their parents are extremely angry. They feel the system must not sacrifice them in order to look after the Taipei Xinbei Keelung students victimized by the "high scores, low achievement" phenomenon. .

Students interested in participating in the second round admissions process must apply today. How serious is the problem? How will it impact students retaking the Basic Competency Tests? We will know soon enough. Should we use the so-called "additional places, extra students" approach? We will know only after second round admissions are complete. Perhaps the matter will not be as serious as some students and their parents anticipate.

Nevertheless, the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination has already angered many. If handled improperly, it could indeed lead to political confronation. Will the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination be continued next year? That is not Hau Lung-bin's decision. Education has long been a difficult problem. Education impacts those directly involved. It also impacts human resources and national development. Political parties may replace one another. But education must endure. The fact is that when those in charge of education are replaced, policies are often changed along with them. As a result, children on Taiwan have become white mice. This has caused students and parents no end of suffering.

In 2014 the government will implement 12-year national compulsory education. It hopes to implement high school and rural community-based studies. it hopes to distribute educational resources more evenly, and to reduce the burden on students. But given the problems caused by the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination, one cannot help worrying. Won't 12 year national compulsory education and examination-free admissions collide head on with everyone's desire to get into elite schools with high admissions scores? The elite high school magnet effect must be reduced. This will take longer than education officials imagine. Do those in charge understand this? Education is not something one can experiment with. It is not something that can be attained in a single bound, The consequences of experimentation may have no end. No matter how good one's intentions, poor execution will have a negative impact. Let the firestorm over the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination serve as a warning.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2011.07.15
社論－別拿教育當實驗 北北基是殷鑑
本報訊

　從「高分低就」到「二次分發」，首次登場的北北基聯測（北北基高中職聯合入學測驗；北北基聯測或聯測）引發民怨連連。部分二次基測的考生家長擬申請國賠、監察院要介入調查，甚至有人認為會牽動二○一二年大選的選情。這個問題究竟要如何解決、北北基是否要增額錄取，都還要看今天（十五日）「申請入學改分發」作業開始後，實際情況如何而定。

　北北基聯測之所以會造成如此大的風暴，除了相關學校申請入學的分數門檻不當、北市教育單位的技術不周之外，核心議題其實是台灣普遍存在的高中學校排名的情結。這次北北基事件或許正好也可以做為推行十二年國教的首部曲，因為十二年國教這項台灣教育史上的重大變革，如果要能成功，關鍵之一就在於如何與家長、考生以及高中、尤其是所謂的明星高中，主事者的心態取得平衡。

　北北基聯測的出發點本為善意。為減輕考生的學習壓力，台北市、新北市（台北縣）、基隆縣合作推行「一綱一本，共辦基測」，有別於教學採一綱多本的全國基測。北北基聯測除了免試入學以外，考生憑基測成績，經由申請入學、甄選入學和登記分發方式進入高中。不過，由於今年北北基聯測考題較難，拉低考生平均成績，再加上各高中職或是依據以往成績，或是想要以較高的申請分數吸引成績較好的學生，因此今年一些北北基高中職訂出了較高的申請入學門檻，也因此發生了所謂的「高分低就」問題。

　申請入學結束後，學校進行第二階段的登記分發入學。一些考生發現，因為申請入學的分數較登記分發入學高一截，因此同一個分數，第一階段申請進不了的學校，第二階段登記卻可以進得去，有部分在第一階段申請入學的考生及家長對此感到非常不滿，因為他們當時選擇的是分數較低的學校，如果他們選擇的是登記分發，可能可以進入分數比較前面的學校就讀。

　「北北基」考生高分低就現象，連日來爭議不斷，主事者台北市長郝龍斌決定以「二次分發」的方式解決。北北基開放了兩千多個名額給自認為是高分低就的考生重新申請，這樣一來，「順了姑情失嫂意」，高分低就的考生重燃希望，因為如此或許就有機會能分發到分數比較前面的學校；然而，北北基二次分發的決定卻可能影響參加二次基測考生的權益，因為北北基在分發、登記後的剩餘名額，本來會流向二次基測的考生，北北基允許二次分發，也許會使用掉一些名額，因此衍生壓縮二次基測考生錄取名額問題，部分二測考生與家長氣憤難平，認為不可以為了照顧北北基高分低就的考生，就犧牲他們。

　有意參加改分發的學生，今天起開始進行申請作業，問題到底有多嚴重、會對二測考生形成多大的衝擊，也很快就可以分曉。是否要採取所謂「外加名額、增額錄取」的方式作為彌補，也必須等申請入學改分發作業完成後才能確定；或許最後事情也並不會如某些憂心忡忡的考生和家長所擔憂的那麼嚴重。

　但無論如何，這次北北基已搞得天怒人怨，如果處理不當，的確很可能發酵為政治鬥爭，屆時，明年北北基聯測要不要繼續，甚至也不是郝龍斌就能拍板定案的。教育的問題向來非常棘手，因為教育不但事關各相關當事人的權益，也關係到總體人力資源與國家發展的規畫，政黨可以輪替，但教育必須延續，然而，事實卻是，教育主事者一更換，往往政策就會發生變動，以致於每隔一時間，就有台灣的孩子要當教育的白老鼠，簡直讓學子與家長無所適從、痛苦萬分。

　政府在一○三年就要正式實施十二年國教，期望藉留鄉升學落實高中職社區化，讓教育資源更平均，也減輕學生負擔。不過，看到北北基引發的問題，不禁讓人十分擔心，十二年國教免試入學真的能夠與「大家都想擠進明星高中、想讀分數高的學校」這種潮流相抗衡嗎？要化解明星高中的磁吸效應，可能得花上比教育主管當局所想像的更長的時間。這點，主事者想清楚了嗎。教育是很難做實驗的，不能一次到位，後患無窮。立意再好，執行不周就會帶來負面效應。北北基的風波可為殷鑑。