The education ministry has made public the results of nationwide scholastic tests conducted for sixth graders and third-year middle school students in April. Depending on the problems, the percentage of correct answers was eight to 16 points lower than in April 2007, when similar tests were held for the first time in 43 years.
The ministry says the main purpose of the tests is to measure the scholastic ability of individual children and to help teachers improve their academic guidance. But the test results show only whether students gave correct answers or not; it doesn't show how they arrived at the answers.
How is it possible for teachers to utilize such tests to improve student guidance? Teachers learn the strong and weak points of individual students through daily class activities. As for scholastic tests, they are also carried out locally.