New way of ranking secondary schools, relieving pressure for 9th grade students

“Disqualification”

“My child can take the exam but will not pass, will be labeled as having a bad score, very sad. We should recognize the true nature of our child. I hope parents support the school’s counseling plan…”. This is the exchange between the homeroom teacher and Ms. NTH in Hai Duong city, whose child is in grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year.

Ms. H. said that the teacher had called and texted many times to advise and guide her child not to take the 10th grade entrance exam. Although her child had average academic performance, Ms. H. still wanted her child to take the exam and frankly expressed her opinion to the homeroom teacher. However, the teacher still tried to advise the family not to let her child take the exam. Since the child was guided not to take the 10th grade exam, his academic performance has declined and he has lost concentration. This way of advising has made the family very sad.

“I want my child to take the exam like his friends. Whether he passes or fails, it will be a memory of a difficult and important exam in his life. If he fails, it will also be a lesson for him to grow up,” said Ms. H.

Similarly, Mr. NVH in Ninh Giang district, whose child is in grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year, was also consulted many times by the homeroom teacher about his child's learning situation and asked the family to cooperate in encouraging his child not to register for the high school entrance exam.

Although he still wanted his child to take the exam like his peers, Mr. H. finally had to agree to sign a voluntary application not to register his child for the 10th grade high school exam.

Orientation and streaming of students after junior high school is a correct policy of the State. In the past, schools and teachers have oriented many students with poor academic performance after completing junior high school not to take the entrance exam to grade 10 of high school but to switch to vocational training or other directions. However, in many places, there has been an excessive orientation and streaming situation, such as "forcing" parents to register their children not to take the entrance exam to grade 10 of high school.

According to some secondary school teachers in Hai Duong, the root of the problem is still the disease of achievement, leading to some schools that stream students too deeply after secondary school. Because schools with a high rate of students not passing the 10th grade entrance exam will affect the competition rankings, the quality of teaching will be evaluated, affecting the reputation of the school. Even the streaming work has been transformed into having teachers who advise and orient excessively, "forcing" students to register and submit their transcripts to a specific private high school, causing parents to be dissatisfied.

Studying and taking exams are the rights of every student, but the way many secondary schools divide students like above has unintentionally "deprived them of the right to compete" in this important exam. Even if the teachers are not careful, they can create emotional scars that will haunt the students forever. Because at the age of 15, students are still immature in their thinking, playful, and lazy to study, so they need encouragement and support to move forward instead of words that make them discouraged and disheartened.

The number of students registering for the 10th grade exam will increase sharply.

In fact, many students, due to their poor or average academic performance, after being advised by their teachers, by the second semester have decided not to take the 10th grade exam and have neglected their studies, even affecting the studies of other students. When a class has students studying for the 10th grade but some students do not study, they will be more or less affected. Those who do not take the exam may seek out unhealthy environments and social evils. This greatly affects the overall quality of education and knowledge of students at the secondary school level.

To overcome the above situation, from the 2024-2025 school year, the Department of Education and Training of Hai Duong has decided to calculate the average score of the 10th grade high school exam to consider the competition of localities and schools in the direction of ranking by total score/number of junior high school graduates. Thus, the competition will no longer be calculated in the traditional way of ranking the total score/number of candidates taking the exam.

When asked about this new ranking method, many administrators and teachers agreed. Teacher Nguyen Khac Diep, Principal of Ho Chi Minh Secondary School (Tu Ky) said that this is a breakthrough solution of the Department of Education and Training. If calculated according to the above method, it will create fairness for schools. Schools may advise more students to take the 10th grade exam. However, the work of streaming and guiding students after secondary school must still be implemented in accordance with regulations, policies and goals of the province.

In the 2023-2024 school year, Hai Duong has about 30,400 grade 9 students, of which nearly 21,000 candidates will take the 10th grade high school entrance exam in the 2024-2025 school year. With the above scoring method, the upcoming 10th grade high school entrance exam in the 2025-2026 school year will have a much larger number of candidates registering to take the exam than in previous years.

Mr. Do Duy Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, said that calculating the total score/number of students graduating from secondary school is one of the measures to improve the quality of education for all students. This is also an opportunity for students to determine their academic ability, have the right career orientation and not affect the work of streaming after secondary school.

In fact, although the number is not large, there are still families who do not wish for their children to take the 10th grade entrance exam. Parents know their children's academic ability and will not pass the exam, so they decide from the beginning not to study for the exam to save money and reduce the pressure of the exam. Therefore, to avoid the new ranking method leading to the extreme act of "forcing" students to take the exam, schools need to respect students' right to choose; only advise and guide them properly. Whether taking the exam or not, the important thing is that schools and teachers need to pay attention to improving the quality of education, imparting knowledge to all students, regardless of level, so that they have basic knowledge at the secondary school level.