China’s Determination to End School Choice and Testing: New Development
19 FEBRUARY 2014 772 3 COMMENTS
(from my new book: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon: Why China Has the World’s Best and Worst Education to be published by Jossey-Bass)
For those who admire the Chinese education system, here is another cautionary tale. The Chinese government has (re)issued another round of orders to end two practices that have delivered China’s great test scores: school choice and testing.
In January 2014, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a stern policy demanding all middle schools (grades 6 to 8 ) admitting students solely based on residence in an attempt to end school choice and the use of any form of exams for students advancing from primary school to middle school[1]. “Exams cannot be used by local educational administration, government schools, or private schools to select students,” stated the policy document. “Government schools cannot use any certificates of contest prizes or qualifications as basis for determining students’ eligibility for admissions.” For schools with more applicants than space, a computerized lottery is to be used.
Ending School Choice and Exams
Like everything in a centralized hieratically organized society, schools in China are organized into different tiers determined by the government. First, all schools fall into either one of the two basic categories: ordinary schools and “key” schools or “exemplary” schools. The number of key schools is limited. They are considered the best schools worthy of more government investment and special policies in many as