Each year students in primary 6 and also secondary 9 and 12 have to do these national tests in a range of subjects. And each year the results are atrocious.
If you look at the table above, the third column down are the results from the English test last year. 805,074 primary 6 students were eligible to sit the test. And in the first column you see what you think could only be impossible and wrong of 140,790 students getting a 0 score.
600,702 scored less than 30%, 13,374 scored between 70-80%, then 8,765 scored 80-90% and an amazing 7,038 scored 90-100%. The results are poor I agree but it isn’t just English.
The first row is Thai language. Only 2,023 students scored a 0. But 694,578 students scored less than 50%.
Let’s look at the other end for Thai language scores. 4,718 scored between 70-80%, then 593 scored 80-90% and an amazing 24 scored between 90-100%.
I have seen the test before and at times they have been ridiculously hard. The secondary tests the Thai English teachers cannot even complete and answer many of the questions.
If you look at the first question on the primary 6 test, it isn’t hard, is it?
I have taught in a privileged private school where many students (not all) get everything they want, from phones, games, and so on. To where I am now in a government school that has kids who comes from very poor to wealthy homes.
But one thing in common in any school is the huge range of ability of students. I have written before about having year 10 students, 16 year olds who cannot do the alphabet, little only read a basic sentence.
So it doesn’t matter how easy these tests are as many students, and I would put at around the 70% have a very limited vocabulary.
The above also seems so simple but for a student who cannot read, cannot fathom the use of comparisons.
The above the primary 6 teacher who has 30 years experience had this answer wrong. She had answered A1 but the answer was A2. So a teacher who can hold a pretty fluent conversation has difficulty answering correctly, what chances do the students have?
This “vocabulary” part of the test was untouched. The teacher didn’t try and for the majority of my primary 6 students, this could be in any language as they would not be able to read this and their vocabulary is not broad enough to cover these words. Like “speed limit” they would have no idea of this compound noun or any idea what it means. They cannot guess the meaning from the context.
Look I could go on and on but it is no point. Are the tests too hard? This primary 6 test shouldn’t be too hard, but I know the level of my students and a small percentage of my 350 students would do this with their eyes closed. Maybe 10 students I would say. One would pass the secondary 6 or year 12 exam, no problem. He can break a sentence into parts of speech and tell you what each word is and does. But he is very special.
What is the answer to improving the results as they are across the board in most subjects? It has to be the teaching, the administration and of course the curriculum.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) must have some of the thickest people with degrees, masters and doctorates in their ranks. There is a new government now and their one PC tablet for every student is absolute idiocy but I won’t go there now.
How the MOE don’t see that when the scores from national tests are not anywhere near a ballpark score of the school's scores and don’t do anything about this, it is plain and downright disgusting.
Schools tell teachers that all students must get a score of say 70%, some more and very few less. So when the MOE sees a school’s average score of say 80% for all students in English, how it doesn’t trigger a tiny little warning in their vacant brains is beyond me.
Anyway, enough on this as I am sick of the Thai education system and let it be what it is. I just make sure my kids are getting the best education I can give them.
Brunty
4 comments:
Looking at question 1, is the correct answer supposed to be 4 “He’s reading a book.” or is that supposed to be the “most” correct answer? The boy may not be reading the book; he may be just looking at pictures.
Looking at question 2, is the correct answer supposed to be 3 “He’s in his bedroom.” or is that supposed to be the “most” correct answer? The boy may not be in his bedroom; he may be in a friend’s bedroom.
It seems like they would have an answer like “Cannot be determined from the picture.”
Hi Bob, there are many questions that are meant to be the most correct answer, but many times there are multiple answers that I would look as being correct.
This just reiterates the fact that I'm SO glad I'm not learning English, especially in a non native English speaking country.
Snap I think we all do!
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