Korea Makes National Assessment Available for All Schools
President Yoon Suk-yeol says he will allow all schools to participate in the National Assessment of Education Achievement, amid a sharp increase in the number of students failing to meet English and math standards. Under the previous government, Korea shifted from requiring all students to take the exam in middle and high school to administering it on a sample basis. While the results are not reported at the individual student level, they are considered an accurate barometer of student learning nationally. The new policy gives schools the option of testing all students and using the results to identify which students need support. Read more in The Korea Times.
Singapore Curriculum Will Incorporate Design Education for All Students
This week Singapore’s Ministry of Education announced that K-12 schools will be expected to teach design education across the curriculum by 2050. By asking students to think through what it will take to equitably address complex problems such as climate change, the country hopes to nurture the next generation of creative thinkers and innovators. Singapore’s efforts to embed design and creative thinking in the curriculum is also taking place at the postsecondary level. A Design Education Review Committee was appointed to consider how to incorporate design and creative thinking into postsecondary; it recommended engaging students across programs in problem solving thorny, cross-disciplinary challenges to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and idea generation. Read more at Channel News Asia.
New South Wales to Introduce Aboriginal Language Course
Starting in 2024, New South Wales (NSW) students from kindergarten to grade 10 will be able to learn dozens of Aboriginal languages and dialects. The new Aboriginal Language course will allow students to learn in one of two pathways: students with no prior language experience can follow the Language Revival pathway, and students who speak an Aboriginal language at home can further develop their skills through the First Language pathway. The syllabus, developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities and education stakeholders, supports the NSW Aboriginal Languages Act 2017 and represents the first update to how NSW schools teach Indigenous languages in over 20 years. Students will be able to take the course starting in 2024. Read more at The West.
England to Invest £180 million in Early Childhood Programming
England’s Department for Education has announced £180 million (US$203 million) targeted at teacher recruitment and support for early childhood education (ECE) over the next three years. Among other things, the funding will support new training for current ECE professionals, including support for 6,000 ECE teachers to achieve the National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership, graduate level specialist training for current ECE teachers, and training for Special Education Needs Coordinators to help identify children’s needs and coordinate the right supports earlier. It will also help fund a new universal online child development training offer and a network of Stronger Practice Hubs dedicated to supporting ECE practitioners in adopting evidence-based improvements and building local networks to share effective practices. Read more at GOV.UK.
