全国学力テスト

(Aug. 31, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Use natl test questions in regular classes
全国学力テスト　集積データを授業に生かせ（8月31日付・読売社説）

Now that the Education, Science and Technology Ministry has announced the results of this year's nationwide academic achievement examination for primary school sixth-graders and middle school third-graders, test results for two consecutive years are finally available.
The exam was resurrected last year after a 43-year hiatus. It tests basic knowledge in Japanese language, arithmetic and mathematics, as well as the ability to apply such knowledge.
ようやく２年分のデータがそろった。昨年、復活した文部科学省の全国学力テストの今年分の結果が公表された。

We hope the ministry, prefectural and municipal boards of education and schools will compare and carefully analyze the data to help them formulate education policies and improve the pedagogic content of related subjects.
集まったデータをよく比較・分析し、文科省や各教育委員会の施策、学校の授業の改善に役立ててもらいたい。

Compared with last year, all the average percentages for the number of correct answers decreased both for primary and middle school students in both basic knowledge and applied skills questions in all subjects.
今年は昨年に比べ、小学６年生、中学３年生ともに、国語と算数・数学の知識を問う問題、知識を活用する能力を問う問題の両方で、すべて平均正答率が下がった。

The ministry said this was because test questions this year were more difficult than last year.
文科省では「昨年より問題が難しかったため」としている。

Test results cannot be easily compared if the degree of difficulty greatly differs.
難易度が大きく異なっては、結果が比較しづらくなる。

Also, many pupils and students reportedly complained that they did not have enough time to answer the questions.
「時間が足りなかった」という児童生徒も多い。

These are points that the ministry must improve in future tests.
今後の検討課題だろう。

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Gaps do exist

The ministry said there were no major variations in the test results for either primary or middle schools according to prefecture.
文科省は、小中学校とも「都道府県で大きなばらつきはない」としている。

But a close look at the results shows that average scores achieved by top-ranking Fukui Prefecture middle school students in the basic and applied mathematics tests were about 20 points higher than those recorded by their peers in bottom-ranking Okinawa Prefecture.
A similar situation obtains between Akita Prefecture, top in primary school basic and applied Japanese, and Okinawa, the lowliest placed prefecture in that subject.
だが、個別にみると、「知識」「活用」の双方で、中学校・数学トップの福井、小学校・国語トップの秋田と、いずれも最下位の沖縄では、正答率に２０ポイント前後の差がある。

The top- and bottom-ranking prefectures this year are almost the same as those in last year's achievement exam.
上位と下位の顔ぶれは、昨年とほぼ同じだ。

What factors give the top-ranking prefectures' students the edge over those in other prefectures?
上位の県は何が優れているのか。

The government should carry out in-depth surveys of schools in prefectures that chalk up good test results by, for instance, sending officials to study their methods and announcing the results of their surveys with the aim of improving the academic achievement level of the nation as a whole.
学校への実地調査など掘り下げた分析を行い、その結果を公表して全体の学力向上につなげるべきではないか。

What we are concerned about is that only slightly under 50 percent of primary schools and slightly under 40 percent of middle schools are using questions from last year's test in regular classes.
気になるのは、昨年のテストを授業で使っているのが、小学校で５割弱、中学校では４割弱しかないことだ。

Good test questions will be wasted if they are not actually utilized during classroom hours. The ministry should promote the use of the test questions in everyday classes.
どんな良問でも、授業に生かされなくては効果が薄れる。もっと利用を促すべきだ。

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Lifestyle, study habits important

Examining the results of this year's and last year's tests, there are correlations between the students' academic achievement and their lifestyle and study habits at home.
昨年と今年の結果を見ると、学力と家庭での生活・学習習慣には相関関係がある。

Children who indicated in a questionnaire they completed on the day of the test that they lead organized lives, doing such things as "eating breakfast every day" and "checking things to bring to school the previous day or in the morning before school" got good scores in the test.
「朝食を毎日食べる」「学校に持って行くものを前日か当日朝に確かめる」など、規則正しい生活を送る子どもは正答率が高い。

Schools whose students do well academically have some things in common.
学力の高い学校にも、一定の共通点がある。

They train children to acquire reading and writing habits using a variety of measures, for example.
例えば、物を書いたり様々な文章を読んだりする習慣をつける授業をしている。

In addition, they announce their education activities on their school Web sites or set days when local residents may freely observe classes, in an effort to win the understanding and cooperation of their local communities.
また、地域に理解と協力を求めるため、教育活動をホームページで公表したり、住民が自由に授業参観できる日を設けたりしている学校だ。

Meanwhile, Tottori Prefecture's information disclosure council became the focus of national attention in July, when it released a report suggesting that academic results for each city, town, village and school in the prefecture should be disclosed.
一方、市町村別・学校別のテスト結果については、鳥取県の情報公開審議会が７月に開示すべきだとの答申を出し、注目された。

However, the prefecture's board of education decided against disclosing such detailed data as those who are involved in the prefecture's education and some students' parents were opposed to the idea, saying such transparency would create a hierarchy of schools and invite excessive competition.
しかし、「学校の序列化や過度の競争を招く」などとして、教育関係者や保護者から反対が出たため、県教委は公表を見送った。

It is, of course, quite right that we should avoid creating an academic hierarchy among schools and excessive competition.
序列化や行き過ぎた競争は無論、避けねばならない。

However, an appropriate level of competition among schools would be something to be welcomed.
だが、適度な競争はあっていい。

There may be room for the ministry to reexamine the way it announces the test results.
公表のあり方は再検討の余地があろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 31, 2008)
（2008年8月31日01時38分 読売新聞）