There's only one way in Norway, at least in the education world:
The government minister in charge of education, Øystein Djupedal, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Tuesday that no new applications for private schools would be evaluated. He said the government will also reverse earlier preliminary approval for new private schools, meaning they won't be allowed to open.Djupedal's initiative will block the opening of as many as 150 new private schools in Norway.
What's wrong with private schools? Well, those schools might want test their students, and Djupedal is having none of that:
Minister of Knowledge Øystein Djupedal announced Thursday that there would be no national exams for grades 1-9 this year. "The job of creating better tests is in progress," Djupedal told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).The minister has yet to decide if tenth graders - the final year of obligatory schooling - and videregående schools roughly equivalent to high schools or sixth forms, will have to take new national exams next autumn.
I'd love to hear what that criticism was. Were the tests really so bad that that only option was cancelling them? Or were these tests the only determinant of grades that students receive each year, as with Norway's college grading system? Or is this an indication of a growing anti-testing opinion, promises about new and improved tests notwithstanding?
(Hat tip: Mark S.)
Posted by kswygert at December 16, 2005 12:38 PM