Student-Centered Growth Support ... Busan Office of Education Revises Elementary Academic Performance Management Guidelines

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is revising its guidelines to allow for multiple-choice assessments (objective question evaluations) in elementary school student performance evaluations to support personalized growth for students.

On the 15th, the Busan Office of Education announced that it will revise the '2023 Elementary Academic Performance Management Implementation Guidelines' to enable various forms of assessments, including multiple-choice evaluations, during elementary school student evaluations.

Since the complete abolition of multiple-choice assessments in elementary schools was announced in 2017, schools have recognized the need for diverse forms of evaluation. However, due to negative perceptions of multiple-choice assessments, some schools have only conducted descriptive written tests for paper-based evaluations.

According to the 'Study on the Current Status and Improvement Measures of Elementary School Student Evaluations in Busan' published in the Busan Education Issue Paper this February, 86.4% of teachers use multiple-choice assessments such as objective multiple-choice, matching, and true/false questions to understand students' achievement levels. The subjects that most frequently use multiple-choice assessments were found to be Mathematics, Korean, Social Studies, and Science, in that order.

Additionally, feedback from schools indicated that although multiple-choice assessments are not included in the subject evaluation plans by grade, they are being used to check students' academic achievement levels.

Busan Office of Education.

Accordingly, the Office of Education has allowed schools, depending on the characteristics of the subject, to conduct only performance assessments according to each school's academic performance management regulations, and also to conduct assessments composed of multiple-choice questions in formative and summative evaluations.

Going forward, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education plans to support schools by developing and distributing multiple-choice questions, strengthening training on student evaluations, improving the perceptions of parents, teachers, and administrators regarding multiple-choice assessments, and facilitating the rapid establishment of diverse forms of evaluation.

Ha Yun-su, Superintendent of Education of Busan, stated, “Accurate diagnosis is necessary for personalized prescriptions for students,” and added, “This guideline revision will serve as an opportunity to solidify student-led, learning-centered classes and support personalized growth for students.”