Implementation of High School Credit System and Expansion of Free Education ... 2020 Educational Transformation

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The high school credit system, a core education policy of the Moon Jae-in administration, will take its first step this year, starting with Meister High Schools. This system is expected to influence not only the current high school education method but also future college admission system reforms, drawing significant attention to whether the system will be successfully established. Additionally, from this year, free education, which was only applied to 3rd-year high school students, will be expanded to 2nd and 3rd years, and the so-called 'parent homework' task-type performance evaluations will be eliminated, marking a major transformation in the education sector.

According to the education sector on the 2nd, from March, the high school credit system will be applied to about 50 Meister High Schools (Industry-Academia Integrated Apprenticeship Schools) nationwide, including Seoul. It is introduced first for vocational high school students who enter the workforce quickly, so they can learn the latest job trends and skills before applying it to general high schools preparing for college entrance.

The high school credit system is similar to the university credit system. Students select and complete various subjects on their own, and once their accumulated credits meet the criteria, they are recognized for graduation. Until now, high school students attended uniform classes according to a fixed curriculum and could graduate simply by meeting attendance requirements. However, with the implementation of the high school credit system, students can choose subjects tailored to their aptitude and career path and take customized classes.

However, several hurdles must be overcome for the high school credit system to be successfully established in reality. First, the current relative evaluation of high school grades must be changed to achievement evaluation (absolute evaluation). This is because the credit system can only operate as intended if students are not disadvantaged regardless of which subjects they take. Additionally, there is the task of introducing new and diverse subjects that are not currently included in the curriculum.

To this end, the government established a legal basis at the end of last month for the introduction of a free textbook publication system for elementary, middle, and high schools. The criteria and procedures for approving textbooks have been simplified, designating specialized subject I (special-purpose high school major subjects), specialized subject II (industry-demand customized and specialized high school major subjects), and school principal-established subjects as targets for the free publication system.

Expansion of various infrastructures such as securing teachers, increasing classroom numbers, and student management is also necessary. Moreover, there are concerns about the effectiveness of the high school credit system as the government declared an expansion of regular admissions last year as a measure to ensure fairness in college admissions. More importantly, the future reformed college admission system must faithfully reflect the purpose of the high school credit system. If following the high school credit system does not provide an advantage during college admissions, it is likely to drift in reality. This also signals a major change in the college admission system.

The 'Shared Campus' system, a transitional form of the high school credit system, will also be applied to general high schools. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will pilot the 'Shared Campus' from this year, where 5 to 6 high schools are grouped so that students can choose classes they want from other schools. However, considering that students moving between schools at the early stage of implementation may cause delays and confusion, it will only apply to classes such as after-school or weekend intensive learning.

Separately, the free high school education implemented for 3rd-year students last year will be expanded to 2nd and 3rd years in 2020. The task-type performance evaluations, which were highly criticized by students and parents as 'parent homework' or 'proxy homework,' will be abolished, and all students' school records must include 'detailed abilities and special notes by subject.' A new clause has been added to the student record preparation and management guidelines stating that 'teachers must input data based on direct observation and evaluation,' completely banning students or parents from pre-writing or proxy writing student records.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.