Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN JAPAN 1965 > CHAPTER 8 (3)

CHAPTER IMPROVEMENT OF CONTENT OF- EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENTOF ABILITY

In the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany, examination is generally employed to transfer pupils from primary schools to secondary school.

In the United Kingdom, the procedure and method to allocate pupils to secondary schools, such as grammar, technical and modern schools are up to each local education agency. But the majority of the local education agencies allocate pupils based on the results of the "eleven-plus" examination to an appropriate secondary school, in other words, in a descending order of total scores on the examination, to grammar, technical and modern schools. The "eleven-plus" examination consists of intelligence tests and standardized tests of English and mathematics given to pupils of eleven years of age. There is, however, some criticism that the age of eleven is too early to allocate pupils definitively to different forms of secondary schools. A few local education authorities have modified the time to give the examination later than at present provided, and the London county council and other local education authorities have set up comprehensive secondary schools for the admission of all pupils.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, most Lander transfer pupils at ten,(after the completion of four years of schooling at basic primary schools,(Grundschule)) to Gymnasium or middle schools (Mittelschule) by "selective teaching (Auslehseunterricht)", a selection procedure peculiar to the Federal Republic of Germany lasting one or two weeks in general.

Taking a week of Auslehseunterricht for entrance to Gymnasium for instance, two teachers from basic primary schools and Gymnasium take charge of teaching alternatively, without consulting with the school records of pupils from basic primary schools during the first three days, and for the next four days with them. Class size should be kept under twenty, and subjects to be taught are German, Mathematics and Heimatkunde(History and Geography) with music and physical education added to make pupils relaxed. Emphasis is put on the test of imagination and thinking rather than on the test of knowledge.

Admittance to secondary schools generally is based on the results of pupil's performances in the Auslehseunterricht. In most Gymnasiums, however, the first year serves as a "judgement period" and pupils who are indeed not suitable to be directed to a Gymnasium are transferred to an appropriate class of intermediate schools or primary schools.