2023-07-13 21:00:00
An English speaking test from November last year (provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education)
The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education announced on the 13th that major publishing company Benesse Corporation will withdraw from the operation of the English speaking test, which began last year in order to use English “speaking skills” in the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Entrance Examination. As the new operator, we chose the British Council, a public international cultural exchange organization in the United Kingdom. During the test, equipment malfunctions and sound leakage problems were discovered, and many problems surfaced, such as management and scoring methods. Benesse has been involved in the operation from the beginning, but withdrew just two years following its full-scale introduction. (Chisato Miyake)
◆ Benesse did not apply
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, the term of the agreement with Benesse will end at the end of the 2023 academic year, so when they called for business operators until June 9, only the British Council applied.
Scheduled to be held in November this year, Benesse will be responsible for the third-year junior high school test that will be used for next year’s entrance exam. The British Council will administer the 1st and 2nd year junior high school tests, which will be introduced in the 2023 academic year, as well as the 3rd year junior high school tests that will be used for entrance exams the year following next. The period is 6 years until 2016. A basic agreement will be concluded in July.
The new company operates “IELTS” and has a track record in the Tokyo University of Foreign Languages entrance examination
The format of the test is the same as Benesse, but details such as scoring methods will be worked out in the future.
Pretest for the English Speaking Test 2019
The British Council is a British non-profit organization established in 1934. In addition to operating the “IELTS” English proficiency test, which includes speaking, the English speaking test jointly developed with Tokyo University of Foreign Studies is used for the entrance examination of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
A representative of the British Council said, “We are currently discussing the details with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education,” and added, “We would like to take measures so that students, parents and school officials can take the tests with peace of mind.”
A person in charge of Benesse, which signed an agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education in 2019 and has been involved since the pretest, said that he “will refrain from answering” that he did not apply.
english speaking testIn 2022, only third-year junior high school students will be eligible, and regarding 69,000 people will take the final exam on November 27. Using earmuffs that block sound and earphones with a microphone, you answer eight questions in 15 minutes while looking at a tablet. Audio recordings were scored in the Philippines. Starting in fiscal 2011, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education will expand the scope of the test to first and second-year junior high school students, and appropriated 3.5 billion yen for this fiscal year’s budget.
◆ Similar to Benesse’s certification, equipment trouble
An English speaking test in which troubles and problems were pointed out one following another. Although the operator has changed, parents and educators say, “Unless problems such as the scoring method are resolved, the system should not be used for entrance examinations.”
The use of a privately run test for public high school entrance exams was the first of its kind in Japan, and attracted attention. The fairness and impartiality were questioned, and there were voices opposing the use of the system for entrance examinations.
A survey conducted by the association of members of the metropolitan assembly following the implementation of the system found that 166 people pointed out that the sound was leaking, such as “I might hear someone else’s answer.” Just before the application deadline in February, a problem was discovered in which some of the eight students’ answers were not recorded due to a problem with the equipment, resulting in a low score.
◆ Even if the operator changes, the problem is…
The test was used as an evaluation material for the metropolitan high school entrance examination, and the test accounted for 20 points out of a total score of 1020 points. In the entrance exam where one point is contested, trouble will affect the life of the examinee.
Hirokazu Ouchi, professor of educational sociology at Musashi University and representative of the civic group “Association for Thinking regarding Entrance Examination Reform,” said, “It’s difficult to maintain the level of the entrance exam if it’s managed by a private company because of costs and other factors. There are still issues with using it for entrance exams, such as how to handle it.”
A parent of a third-year public middle school student in Tokyo said, “Even if the provider changes, there are still many problems, such as unclear grading standards and slow schedules. Unless these problems are fundamentally resolved, they should not be used for entrance examinations. ” he said.
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