Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 26th (Reporter Zhao Xu, Zhao Wanwei) Examination reform concerns thousands of families. On the 26th, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission issued the reform policy of examination enrollment for senior high schools in Beijing.
What changes have been made to the "New Senior High School Entrance Examination" policy? What is the reason behind the reform? The reporter interviewed the person in charge of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and front-line educators, and interpreted the reform policy.
On June 24, 2023, at the test center of Shuangyushu Campus in Beijing No.101 Middle School, the candidates high-fived the teacher before entering the test center. Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Chaoshe
The number of admission scoring subjects in the middle school entrance examination was reduced to 6.
Previously, Beijing’s senior high school entrance examination policy was divided into two parts: compulsory examination and optional examination subjects. This round of "new senior high school entrance examination" cancelled the optional examination link, and according to the characteristics of different subjects, the junior high school level examination subjects were divided into three categories: examination, examination and assessment, which reduced the scoring subjects.
Among them, the examination subjects include six subjects: morality and rule of law, Chinese, mathematics, foreign languages, physics, physical education and health, and the results are presented in scores for graduation and further study. History, geography, chemistry and biology, as examination subjects, are graded and divided into four grades: A, B, C and D from high to low. The assessment subjects include information technology, art, labor and comprehensive practical activities, and the results are presented as qualified/unqualified. The results of examination subjects and examination subjects are used for graduation and reference in further studies.
In addition, the written examination of morality and rule of law was changed from a closed book to an open book, and the "experimental operation" of physics subjects was included in the results of the senior high school entrance examination.
On June 16th, 2023, in the middle school campus of Beijing No.8 Middle School, students from Class 4, Grade 3 took photos of graduation photo as a souvenir. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Jinquan photo
Free students from "brushing questions"
In this examination reform, the scores of "small four subjects" in history, geography, chemistry and biology are presented in grades, which will obviously reduce the pressure of preparing for the exam. A student said that it is finally possible to brush less questions.
Li Yi, director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said that in recent years, in the actual operation of the senior high school entrance examination in Beijing, the second day of the senior high school entrance examination entered the preparation stage ahead of schedule, and the children repeatedly brushed the questions and memorized them mechanically for the exam, so the burden was too heavy, and the teachers had no time to take care of the extracurricular practice and experimental teaching.
It is hoped that the new policy will play the role of "baton" in exam enrollment, "guide teachers to return from exam-oriented teaching to quality teaching with more scientific evaluation, let children spend more time and energy on stimulating their interest in learning and cultivating their disciplinary thinking, enhance their ability to know the real world and solve real problems, and make their children physically and mentally healthy, enjoy learning and love learning, and develop in an all-round way." Li Wei said.
According to reports, the overall idea of this reform is "big subtraction, small addition, multi-channels, new carriers", reducing the content and form of mechanical, repetitive and low-level examinations, strengthening the cultivation of students’ interest and thinking quality, and improving the enrollment and training methods of multi-channels and new carriers, smoothing diversified admission paths and diversified access to further education.
On March 14th, 2023, in Beijing No.5 Middle School Branch, students showed the "Beijing Central Axis" landscape sand table works that participated in the design and production. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhou Liang)
The new policy will promote the classroom to "improve quality and increase efficiency"
The new policy will be implemented as of the date of promulgation, and will be applicable to students in Grade 8. Many interviewed teachers said that its impact on the classroom will soon appear, which will play a positive role in promoting teaching management innovation and improving students’ comprehensive quality.
"The time that children used to brush questions for high scores and full marks can now be used in experiential and immersive chemistry experiments." He Shanshan, a chemistry teacher in Beijing No.171 Middle School, said that after the reform, chemistry teaching will return to the subject itself. She hoped that students would spend more time doing experiments, cultivating chemical thinking and appreciating the charm of chemical elements.
The interviewed teachers analyzed that the written part of the subject of "Morality and Rule of Law" was changed to an open book, and the children would no longer recite mechanically, but answer questions according to the situation and materials. In addition, the inclusion of physics "experimental operation" in the results of senior high school entrance examination will guide students to cultivate their practical ability and innovative consciousness through scene-based and experiential physics learning.
Ren Weidong, the headmaster of Beijing No.80 Middle School and a special physics teacher, believes that this round of examination reform and adjustment will leave more space for students to carry out research-based learning and interdisciplinary theme activities, and it is easier to stimulate students’ interest and curiosity.