The Educational System of South Korea...The Educational System of South Korea LesLee Clauson Northwest Regional Director International Education Services AACRAO ... Overview – secondary

The Educational System of South Korea

LesLee ClausonNorthwest Regional DirectorInternational Education [email protected]

Rob Hatfield, Senior EvaluatorInternational Education [email protected]

AACRAO International Education Services - www.aacrao.org/international/© 2011 1

Session Overview

v Introductions and housekeeping

v Secondary education

v Postsecondary education

v Evaluation exercises

v Questions?AACRAO International Education Services - www.aacrao.org/international/© 2011 2


Korea – the basicsv The curriculum is national. The latest version,

the Seventh Curriculum, was introduced in 2000 at the elementary level and extended by 2004 to the whole school system.

v Emphasis has moved from rote memorization to development of creativity and problem-solving skills.

v Schooling is compulsory through grade 9.



Korea

• Secondary education


Overview – secondary education

v Elementary and secondary education total 12 years: 6+6+3.

v Children attend schools 5 ½ days per week, with each class session in high school lasting 50 minutes.

v The academic year runs from March to December. Summer vacation is 45 days in July and August. Winter vacation is 70 days in January-February.

v Both public and private schools follow the national curriculum. Private high schools account for about half of student enrollment.

v Elementary and middle school education is free; high schools charge tuition.


Specifics – secondary education

v There are general academic high schools and vocational high schools. Both lead to postsecondary education or employment.

v Admission to high school requires passing a qualifying examination, and then assignment by lottery within a student’s residential district.

v Regular examinations are given twice per term, mid-term and final, or four times per year.

v To graduate, high school students must complete 216 units of study, which includes classroom instruction and extracurricular/optional activities. One unit = one class hour per week over a 17-week semester.


Credentials – secondary education

v High School Awarded upon completion of three years of Certificate of academic high school. In Grade 11 and Grade Graduation 12, students choose one of three optional tracks: humanities/social studies, science, or vocational

studies. v Vocational High Awarded upon completion of three years of

School vocational high school. About half the students’ Certificate of time is spent on general courses, and half on Graduation vocational courses. Vocational specializations

include agriculture, technology-industry, commerce, fishery/marine transportation, or

comprehensive vocational.


Grading – secondary education

• Indigenous scale Suggested U.S. grade• Su 90 - 100% A• Wu 80 - 89% B• Mi 70 - 79% C• Yang 60 - 69% D• Ga 0 – 59% F


• General High School Certificate of Graduation


• General High School Transcript


• Vocational • High School

Certificate of Graduation


• Vocational • High School

Transcript


Korea

• Postsecondary education


Overview – postsecondary education

v Admission to postsecondary study requires graduation from secondary school, and generally the Scholastic Achievement Examination for College Entrance (commonly known as the College Scholastic Achievement Test – CSAT).

v The CSAT measures students’ academic skills and their readiness for postsecondary study. It is modeled on the U.S. SAT examination and is sometimes called the “Korean SAT.”

v The academic year contains two terms: March - June and August/September - December. Coursework is completed in December, and graduating students go through commencement in February.


Credentials – postsecondary

v Certificate (of Graduation)/Diploma/Associate’s degree (since 1997)v Typically 2 years, although some technical and nursing programs are 3

years.v Credentials awarded by a junior college, junior technical college, junior

vocational college, junior teacher-training college, or (junior) nursing school tend to be more practical or employment-related in nature.

v Credentials awarded by a university tend to be more academic in nature.v Approximately 80 credits for a 2-year, and 120 credits for a 3-year, degree

v Bachelor’s degreev 4 years for most degrees; medical and dental degrees are 6 years. v 130-140 credits total required. A maximum of 24 credits may be earned

each term.v Master’s degrees

v 2 years for most degrees. v 24-36 credits total, depending on the major, with a maximum of 12 credits

per semester.


Grading – postsecondary education

• Grading at the postsecondary level tends to be similar to the U.S.-style A-F scale, or the percentage scale. Variations include plus/minus (+/-/0), grade points (A+=4.5/4.3 e.g.), and differing divisions of the 100-point (percentage) scale. A typical scale would be:

*************************************• Grading scales are typically posted on the transcripts.

95 - 100 A+ 4.590 - 94 A 4.085 - 89 B+ 3.580 - 84 B 3.075 - 79 C+ 2.570 - 74 C 2.065 - 69 D+ 1.560 - 64 D 1.00 - 59 F 0.0*********************************


Types of postsecondary institutions

v Colleges (prior to 1995, “junior college”) (2-year programs)v Colleges and Universities (national, public, private) (4-year programs)v Air and Correspondence University (Korean National Open University -

distance education; bachelor and master programs)v Cyber Universities (internet-based instruction, associate and bachelor

programs)v Credit Bank System (CBS)

v Anyone with a high school diploma may apply, and receive credits by:v Studying part-time at a college or universityv Completing programs at CBS-accredited non-formal education and

training institutionsv Acquiring national technical certificates, and v Passing bachelor’s examinations for the self-educated.

v Students can earn a maximum of 36 credits per year toward a bachelor’s degree, or 40 credits per year toward an associate’s degree, through the CBS.


• Junior College Certificate of Graduation,

• 2-year program


• Junior College Transcript (1),

• 2-year program


• Junior College Transcript (2),

• 2-year program


• Associate Degree (University) Certificate of Graduation,

• 2-year program


• Associate Degree (University) Transcript,

• 2-year program


• Associate in Health Certificate of Graduation,

• 3-year program


• Associate in Health Transcript,

• 3-year program


• Bachelor of Arts Certificate of Graduation


• Bachelor of Arts Transcript


• Master of Science Certificate of Graduation


• Master of Science Transcript


Resources

Print• Korea, AACRAO World Education Series, 1985.• International Education Guide for the Assessment of Education from South

Korea, IQAS (International Qualifications Assessment Service), Government of Alberta, 2009.

Web• Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology:

http://english.mest.go.kr/ .• Study in Korea: www.studyinkorea.go.kr/. [list of recognized postsecondary

institutions]• Fulbright office: http://www.fulbright.or.kr/english/pages/home-e.html• Government of Alberta, Employment and Immigration, International

Education Guides, Korea: http://employment.alberta.ca/Immigration/5219.html

• AACRAO EDGE: Electronic Database for Global Education, 2004-2011.


Cool Perk

Fulbright International Education Administrators Program

v The International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars program helps international education professionals and senior higher education officials from the United States create empowering connections with the societal, cultural and higher education systems of other countries.

v Grantees have the opportunity to learn about the host country’s education system from the inside out as well as establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues. Grantees return with enhanced ability to serve and encourage international students and prospective study-abroad students

v Participants will attend meetings with representatives from Korean universities, private-sector agencies and organizations and selected government agencies. Visit university international offices. Respond to questions about U.S. higher education.

v Deadline for the June 2012 Korea Program: November 1, 2011.v For more information, go to www.cies.org/IEA/.


The Educational System of South Korea...The Educational System of South Korea LesLee Clauson Northwest Regional Director International Education Services AACRAO ... Overview – secondary

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