Cho Hee-yeon Seoul Superintendent of Education Press Conference
6th Grade, Kidari Saem Learning & Special Programs
9th Grade, e-School, Kidari Saem, Doyak Camp, etc.
Research & Development of Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic Tools
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Starting this year, various measures to address learning delays will be implemented during the second semester for 6th-grade elementary and 3rd-grade middle school students in Seoul. A new diagnostic tool will also be developed to assess foundational skills in literacy and numeracy.
Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, announced these plans in the "Measures to Strengthen the Guarantee of Basic Academic Skills" during a New Year's press briefing on the morning of the 10th.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to operate the second semester of 6th grade in elementary school and 3rd grade in middle school as a "Basic Academic Skills Guarantee Filling Semester" starting this year, significantly strengthening the responsibility of public education for ensuring basic academic skills. The aim is to provide focused support to help students overcome learning delays and fill foundational academic skills before advancing to higher grades.
For 6th-grade elementary students, 500 learning support tutors will be intensively assigned to enhance feedback and adjustments tailored to individual student characteristics. Additionally, during after-school hours, weekends, and vacations, one-on-one learning with Kidari Saem tutors will be supported to address learning gaps and restore relationships for targeted 6th-grade students. Special programs prepared by schools or the education office, such as self-directed learning methods and career exploration, will also be operated during vacation periods.
For 3rd-grade middle school students, those who prefer online learning can participate in AI tutoring supplementary lessons (e-School), those who want individual guidance from teachers can engage with 3rd-grade Kidari Saem tutors, and those wishing to develop relationships, self-efficacy, and career awareness can join the Leap Camp. Students targeted for learning support must participate in at least one of the filling semester programs, considering their learning environment, required areas, and preferred learning methods.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to encourage guardians of students targeted for learning support who do not wish to participate in the filling semester programs offered by schools or the education office to engage in learning counseling and coaching programs at related institutions such as local universities, libraries, and youth centers. Additionally, for students who wish, online learning content vouchers for platforms like EBS and funds for purchasing textbooks will be provided to strengthen home-based linked guidance.
Furthermore, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to conduct diagnostics and support for core competencies that future generations must possess: △ literacy △ numeracy △ AI literacy.
Utilizing a budget of 3 billion KRW increased through a supplementary budget approved by the Seoul Metropolitan Council last August, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will develop a new basic academic skills diagnostic tool called the "Seoul-type Literacy and Numeracy Diagnostic Tool (tentative name)." This tool is designed to assess literacy and numeracy, which are cross-curricular foundational competencies essential for daily life and subject learning, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Development will begin as soon as the ongoing research is completed, with a pilot operation scheduled for October.
In addition, the office will initiate an "AI Literacy Diagnostic (tentative name)" as a future competency necessary in the AI era. Through policy research, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will explore various support measures to ensure students receive systematic AI utilization education in preparation for the field application of the 2022 revised curriculum, alongside the AI Literacy Diagnostic.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Superintendent Cho proposed a social deliberation and public discussion to ensure minimum academic standards during the transition from middle school to high school, aiming for national-level discussions and legal and institutional improvements.
He explained, "Public education has the responsibility to support our students so they do not fall behind or give up during this secondary transition period," adding, "We need to establish minimum academic standards at the national level and discuss and create a system to guarantee academic achievement that meets these standards."
To this end, Superintendent Cho pointed out the need for social consensus and legal and institutional arrangements regarding △ criteria for minimum academic achievement that public education must uphold △ procedural remediation regulations (strengthened measures) for students who do not meet minimum academic standards △ support policies for students below the minimum academic standards.
He emphasized, "Efforts to guarantee students' basic academic skills are carried out under complex conditions," and added, "From a future-oriented perspective, it is necessary to socially agree on considering minimum academic achievement as a basic human right of students and to establish responsible national-level measures to guarantee this."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
