Yong Zhao, who was born and educated in China and is now a
professor at the University of Oregon, reports on China’s
new education reform plans To relieve the pressure on
young children and to encourage creativity, China is reducing
testing, homework, and tracking.
Yong Zhao reports: “No standardized
tests, no written homework, no tracking. These are some of the new
actions China is taking to lessen student academic burden. The
Chinese Ministry of Education released Ten Regulations to Lessen
Academic Burden for Primary School Students this week for public
commentary. The Ten Regulations are introduced as one more
significant measure to reform China’s education, in addition to
further reduction of academic content, lowering the academic rigor
of textbooks, expanding criteria for education quality, and
improving teacher capacity.” Among the kep points in the draft plan
are: “No Homework. No written homework is allowed in primary
schools. Schools can however assign appropriate experiential
homework by working with parents and community resources to arrange
field trips, library visits, and craft activities. “Reducing
Testing. No standardized testing is allowed for grades 1 through 3;
For 4th grade and up, standardized testing is only allowed once per
semester for Chinese language, math, and foreign language. Other
types of tests cannot be given more than twice per semester.” Just
as the Obama administration and the Common Core are increasing the
number of tests and driving them down even to kindergarten
children, the Chinese are going in the opposite direction.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on Capitan Typo's Adventures in Education and commented:
This comparison to China I probably more relevant to australian schools given our proximity, and engagement with Asia in future growth and development.
Interesting.
The climate of Common Core is on full force in our “focus,” but very good NC school. (A new initiative by the state promises an extra $500 for four years to the top 25% of teachers whose students score the highest!!! Which means, alas, as music teacher I am not even in the running for that, and if I were I can guarantee I would put that $500 right back into the classroom). As music teacher who works closely with the art teacher and the PTO, as well as classroom teachers, I can only hope that the creativity we try to bring the children will stay with them in their lives even if we are unable to close the gap between our gifted kids’ scores and the next highest scorers. I have to keep my eye on the prize of touching children’s lives and having my own touched back by them and the creativity and expression, the learning and excitement of informed discovery. And if our school ever faces state takeover (surely not) that I simply accept that as a traffic accident of the RttT experiment. So I drive forward, hoping to prevent and help prevent traffic accidents, but being ready and prepared to make the best of their inevitability. What else can we do?
You see?!? Resisting standardized tests in school is COMMUNIST!!!
Yep, quite unAmerican at that!
You beat me to the punch!
we are just a bit behind this china syndrome. wait, after all this hot mess of ccss they will do the same thing.
Notice that some Chinese elementary students are taking standardized tests more than once or twice a semester in each subject (hence the “reduction to the stated levels). No wonder they are concerned.
lol! Reading the comments just brought home to me in a new way the catch-22 they are placing all of us in. They justify their claims of a failing school system by comparing our work force to China and India, but if we try to point out that China is trying to become more like we used to be, we are communist! You can’t win for trying. Bottom line is that they want us gone.
I suppose it is the natural order of things. As we go down the tubes trying others’ failed policies, they will become the new global leaders, following our discarded, successful policies. Maybe eventually they will start to outsource their jobs to us!
This turn away from the testing and ranking has been in the works for a number of years now. The irony is that the Chinese government is doing what “the invisible hand” can’t, complying with the ultimate market force, REALITY, and following facts wherever they lead. Meanwhile, the good ole USA is all but completely hamstrung by cronyism and authoritarian driven rent seeking and profit extraction schemes. Now is a good time to start worrying since this change in Ed policy could turn “made in China” into made by China.