Reduce pressure on schools and students.

In response to the situation where some schools "forced" parents to register their children for the 10th grade entrance exam without their children taking it, from the 2024-2025 school year, the Hai Duong Department of Education and Training has decided to use the average score of the 10th grade entrance exam to evaluate the performance of localities and schools, ranking them based on the total score divided by the number of students graduating from junior high school.

Candidates taking the entrance exam for 10th grade at high schools in Hai Duong province for the 2024-2025 school year. Photo: The Anh.

Reduce pressure from local authorities.

Every year during the 10th grade entrance exam season, many localities see complaints from parents about being "pressured" by homeroom teachers to voluntarily sign letters stating they will not register their children for the high school entrance exam. If parents refuse, their children's academic records may be affected, making it more difficult to use those records for admission to private or vocational schools. Believing that learning and taking exams are legitimate rights for every student, many parents oppose this practice because they believe that students will become more negligent in their studies if they don't take the exam, making it even harder for families to discipline their children.

This stems from the obsession with achieving high scores, where homeroom teachers are accountable to the principal for the percentage of students who fail to get into 10th grade, affecting their own performance and that of the school. Furthermore, the quality of teaching will be evaluated, impacting the reputation of the school and the teacher.

In recent years, the education sector in general and schools in particular have focused on guiding students after lower secondary school. However, due to the admission process being based on specific criteria rather than selective entry, the percentage of students passing the 10th grade entrance exam in many high schools depends not only on the quality of teaching and learning but also on the students' efforts and the support of their families. Therefore, in addition to teachers closely advising and guiding students appropriately and coordinating with families to provide helpful advice, some teachers have "pressured" students into not taking the entrance exam and submitting their transcripts to a private high school, causing resentment among parents.

To address this issue, starting from the 2024-2025 school year, the Hai Duong Department of Education and Training has decided to use the average score of the 10th grade entrance exam to evaluate the performance of localities and schools, ranking them based on total score divided by the number of students graduating from junior high school. Experts believe this approach creates fairness for schools, eliminating the pressure of high pass/fail rates as before. Many predict that schools may encourage more students to take the 10th grade entrance exam than in previous years, aligning with the students' legitimate rights. Ultimately, whether they pass or fail, it is the students' choice and achievement; no one should take away their opportunity to participate in the exam. Therefore, the student placement process after junior high school will not be affected, as the number of students entering 10th grade in each school and locality is fixed and does not change, meaning that the number of additional or fewer candidates will not have a significant impact. Students are respected and have the right to choose whether or not to take the exam. The role of schools and teachers is to provide appropriate guidance and advice so that students recognize their strengths and weaknesses and find a suitable path.

Equal opportunities for candidates

The regulations for admission to junior and senior high schools, effective from February 14, 2025, stipulate that: The admission score for grade 10 in high schools is the total score of all subjects/exams, calculated on a 10-point scale for each subject/exam. The announcement of the cutoff scores will be made simultaneously with the announcement of the exam results. Thus, from this school year, the calculation of admission scores for grade 10 will officially be standardized nationwide without weighting factors. In previous school years, depending on the locality, the admission scores for each subject were calculated equally or doubled for Mathematics and Literature, while the third and fourth subjects had a weight of 1.

For example, in Hanoi, Hai Duong, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh , Quang Ninh, etc., the admission score for grade 10 in 2024 was calculated as the sum of the Literature and Mathematics exam scores multiplied by two, plus the Foreign Language exam score and priority points (if any). Meanwhile, in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Bac Giang, Ninh Binh, etc., the admission score was calculated using three exam subjects on a 10-point scale for each subject.

Because each locality is different, applying a weighting factor of 2 to Mathematics and Literature can easily create a misconception about the admission scores of high-ranking schools, leading students and society to believe that students have achieved high scores in all three subjects. In reality, when looking at the unweighted maximum score, the student's true score is revealed.

Furthermore, the 2018 General Education Program emphasizes the development of each student's qualities and abilities, without differentiating between core and elective subjects. Therefore, applying a weighting factor of 2 to some subjects while using 1 for others encourages students and parents to focus more on certain subjects than others, contributing to an increase in unbalanced learning. Removing the weighting factor ensures fairness in assessing students' abilities and provides equal opportunities for all, preventing students who excel in English from losing their advantage in Math and Literature compared to those who are strong in Math and Literature but less proficient in English. This new scoring method will promote balanced learning and holistic development at the lower secondary level, creating the necessary foundational knowledge for each student, in line with the goals of the 2018 General Education Program.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/thi-vao-lop-10-giam-ap-luc-cho-nha-truong-hoc-sinh-10298824.html