Is English Speaking Ability a Fair Requirement For High School Entrance?
Some seem to think so
It seems an English-speaking test will be introduced at the Tokyo metropolitan high school entrance exam this month. The test is from the private sector and is to be administrated to 80,000 third-year middle school students. It was created jointly by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education and Benesse Corporation, an education services provider.
Many parents are collecting signatures and demanding the test be eliminated as they’re not clear how the test will be scored and who will be doing the grading. The test includes scoring for grammar and pronunciation, with other aspects of speaking ability on a six-tier scale.
As with any language test, there are multiple opportunities for error and the parents are worried about the criteria for scoring. They are also citing unfairness as students who go to cram schools will have an unfair advantage. I found that a bit strange as students can go to cram schools for any subject and have an “unfair” advantage. I thought that was one of the main points of a cram school.
I think it will be difficult to score well on the pronunciation portion of the test unless the teacher is fluent or the students are exposed to native speakers. Even then, the pronunciation will vary based…
