From the 14th, Expanded Attendance for Middle School Students in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Density at Level 2 Reduced to Two-Thirds

Ahead of Full Return to School in 2nd Semester, Density Level 2 Expanded from 1/3 to 2/3
Current Attendance Rate of Middle School Students in Seoul Metropolitan Area at 46%... Targeting Expansion to Late 60%
2020 Academic Achievement Assessment Shows Decrease in 'Average' and Increase in 'Below Standard'
Introduction of 'Customized Academic Achievement Self-Assessment Support System' Planned

Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye announced strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures for schools and academies nationwide on the 20th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Ahead of full in-person attendance for the second semester, the school density standard for level 2 will be raised from one-third to two-thirds starting on the 14th. This measure aims to increase the number of school days for middle school students in the metropolitan area (48.3%), whose attendance rate is lower compared to elementary and high schools in the metropolitan area, which are currently at about 67%.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye (photo) announced on the 2nd the "2020 Academic Achievement Assessment Results and Response Strategies for Learning Support," stating, "Starting June 14, we will expand attendance for metropolitan middle school students and vocational high school students nationwide, which we have been reviewing since early this year, and introduce computer-based competency testing (CBT) that can provide students with richer customized diagnostic information." The Ministry of Education expects the attendance rate of metropolitan middle school students to rise to the high 60% range with this measure.

For vocational high school students who require field training, flexible attendance will be promoted to allow full attendance up to social distancing levels 1 and 2. The Ministry of Education will supplement the quarantine system as it expands phased attendance and plans to announce a "Step-by-step Implementation Plan for Full Student Attendance in the Second Semester" by mid-month. The UK is conducting full in-person classes, the US has announced plans to normalize school classes starting in September, and France is conducting full attendance classes for elementary students and middle school grades 1 and 2.

The Ministry of Education is expanding attendance because academic achievement levels have worsened compared to previous years. In the national academic achievement assessment conducted in November last year, sampling 3% (21,179 students) of 9th and 11th graders, the proportion of "average" (level 3) decreased while the proportion of "below basic proficiency" (level 1) increased.

In middle school Korean and English, the average proportion was 75.4% and 63.9%, respectively, down 7.5 and 8.7 percentage points from the previous year. High school Korean also decreased by 7.7 percentage points to 69.8%. The level 1 proportion in middle school Korean rose by 2.3 percentage points to 6.5%, and English increased by 3.8 percentage points to 7.1%. The proportions of high school students below basic proficiency in Korean (6.8%), English (8.6%), and Math (13.5%) also increased by 2.8, 5.0, and 4.5 percentage points respectively compared to the previous year. The school life happiness index also worsened, with middle school students at 59.5%, down 4.9 percentage points, and high school students at 61.2%, down 3.5 percentage points from the previous year.

The Ministry of Education plans to revise the target, timing, and method of the academic achievement assessment, which had been conducted only on 3% of 9th and 11th graders through paper tests. The assessment will measure not only learning ability but also social and emotional areas such as communication and information processing skills through computer-based testing. The target group will be sequentially expanded from 3rd grade elementary to 11th grade high school students, conducted three times a year. From this year, a "COVID-19 Response Mid- to Long-term Longitudinal Study" will be conducted over three years targeting 3rd grade elementary and 8th grade middle school students to observe whether there are any deficits in academic, emotional, and physical health. The "Education Recovery Project (tentative name)" proposed by the Council of Superintendents of Education will also be finalized by the end of this month.

Deputy Prime Minister Yoo said, "The issue of learning loss should be recognized as a matter requiring capacity input from the perspective of educational recovery, and we will closely consult with related agencies to prepare comprehensive measures."