English private exam : 50% of universities used it - as of the end of September

Recently Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition reported the following:

英語民間試験、利用大学5割どまり　9月末時点

大学 社会・くらし

2019/10/4 12:27 (2019/10/4 20:44更新)

大学入学共通テストで導入される英語民間試験の円滑実施について話し合われた会議（9月、文科省）=共同

2020年度に始まる大学入学共通テストで導入される英語民間試験を巡り、文部科学省は4日、成績を合否判定の材料や出願資格などに利用すると決めた大学が9月末時点で全体の5割の561校になったと発表した。試験会場などの公表の遅れや公平性確保への懸念などから利用をためらう大学が多いとみられる。同省は10月中旬までに利用大学を確定させる。

英語民間試験の導入は「読む・聞く・書く・話す」の4技能を測るのが目的。受験生は20年4～12月に試験を受け、大学入試センターが各実施団体から成績を集約して各大学に提供する。

同省の集計によると、成績の具体的な利用方法を決めた四年制大学や短期大学は全体の53%に当たる561校。四年制大学は64%が利用するとし、うち国立は94%、公立78%、私立57%だった。

文科省は「大学入試英語ポータルサイト」の公開を一部停止してデータを更新し、7日をめどに詳細が見られるようにする。

同省は各大学の決定を急がせ、受験生の不安を解消するために、9月末までに利用方針を示さなかった大学には成績を提供しないとした。10月11日までの猶予期間を設けており、利用大学数は増える可能性もある。

英語民間試験を巡っては公平性や公正性への疑問が消えず、日程や会場で未確定部分が残ることなどから、高校側からは延期の要望が出ている。高校側の混乱などを懸念し、利用を見送った大学が少なくないもようだ。

萩生田光一文科相は4日の閣議後記者会見で、「多くの受験生が実施を前提に準備を進めてきており、予定どおり20年度から実施する」と強調。利用が5割にとどまったことに対し、各大学の過去の入試における民間試験利用率に比べれば高いとし、「英語4技能の評価を促進したといえる」と話した。

一方で「もう少し多くの大学が参加してくれる仕組みだったらよかった」とも述べ、高校や大学、実施団体などと協議の場を設ける考えを示した。実施団体には日程や会場の詳細を11月1日までに公表するよう要請しており、各大学にもやむを得ない事情で試験が受けられなかった受験生への配慮を求めるという。

Translation

Center around the English private examination to be introduced in the common university entrance test starting in fiscal 2020, on the 4th the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced that as of the end of September the number of schools that decided to use the grades for pass / fail judgment information together with application qualifications etc. was 561 and representing 50%. Many universities seemed to hesitate to use it due to delays in publication of exam sites, and concerns on ensuring fairness. The ministry would by mid-October finalize the universities that would use it.

The purpose of introducing the English private exam was to measure the four skills of "reading, listening, writing and speaking". Applicants took the examination in April-December 2020, and the university entrance examination center collected the results from individual implementing organization and provided them to the individual university.

According to the same ministry, the number of four-year universities and junior colleges that had decided on a specific way to use the grading was 561, accounting for 53% of the total. Four-year universities using it was 64%, of which 94% were national; 78% was using it among public universities, and 57% among the private ones.

The ministry would partially stop making public the "college entrance examination English portal site" to update the data, so that more details on its prospect could be seen on the 7th.

The ministry urged for a decision of individual university; and in order to relieve students' anxiety, decided not to provide grades to universities that didn't show a usage policy by the end of September. There was a grace period until October 11, and there was a possibility that the number of universities that used the test would increase.

The question about objectivity and impartiality over the private English exam had not disappeared, and uncertainties remained regarding the schedule and venue. There was a request for postponement from the side of the high schools. Due to concerns about confusion in high schools, it seemed that there were many universities that had not used it.

At the press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 4th, Koichi Sugata the Minister of Education emphasized, “many exam taking students are preparing for the implementation, and it will start from FY20 as scheduled”; and "it can be said that the evaluation of the 4 English skills was promoted" as the usage rate was 50%,  and that it was higher than the private examination utilization rate in past entrance examinations of individual university.

On the other hand, he said, “It would have been nice if there were a lot more universities participating,” and suggested the idea of ​​setting up a forum for consultation with high schools, universities and implementing organizations. The implementing organizations were requested to announce the details of the schedule and venue by November 1^st. Individual university were requested to pay attention to students who could not take the exam due to unavoidable circumstances.

        It seems that the new English exam system was not welcome by some students.