The Operating Status of Specialized High Schools
1. The Procedures for the Designation/Operation of Specialized High Schools
Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In other words, among the existing technical high schools, except comprehensive high schools, specialized high schools, general high schools, and special-purpose high schools (the field of vocational education) were converted to specialized high schools. In summary, in 1996, specialized high schools were presented for the first time in the “Methods for Education Reform to Establish a New Education System” (February 1996) by the Presidential Committee on Education Innovation. In March 1998, the first specialized high school, Busan Design High School, was established in Busan. About 12 years later, all technical high schools across the nation were converted to specialized high schools.
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of an Office of Education refers the application to “the designation and governance committee of specialized high schools,” and based on the results of deliberation, he/she decides on whether it will be a specialized high school. “The designation and governance committee of specialized high schools,” which is a legal committee under the superintendent of an Office of Education, serves to deliberate on matters concerning the designation of specialized high schools, the operation plan, the revocation of the designation, and the assessment of operation.
(2) Selection of special fields and the form of departments
Specialized high schools, which aim at training talents in a special field, are naturally to select specialized fields. These fields are determined by consultation with the members of a school, taking into account the local industry and the structure of manpower, the demands of local interested parties, the status of the current departments and teachers, the status of school facilities, and plans for national and regional industrial development. To this end, a survey of local industries on the demand for manpower is carried out. Depending on the region and the size of the school, the specialized fields may vary: the field may be either a single one or a complex one with more than two fields. In the case of single field, typical examples include the Culinary Arts Science High School and Beauty High School.
After the decision on specialized fields is made, the decision of the types of manpower is made more specifically, and the departments for training manpower are set. Once the decision on departments is made, the curriculum of each department is organized.
The curriculum is organized under the “Elementary and Secondary School Curriculum”
(announced by the Ministry of Education) and the “Guidelines for Organization/
Operation of Secondary Education Curriculum” by the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education. It is divided into credit units allotted for regular curriculum, specialized curriculum, and creative discretionary activities.
The national curriculum presents a guideline for the allotment of credit units (a total of 204 units) for specialized high schools. According to the guideline, the required
credit units for both regular subjects and specialized ones are 65 units and 86 units, respectively. There are 24 credit units for creative experimental learning activities, and 29 credit units for school autonomous courses. The autonomous curriculum of schools can be reorganized with the addition of regular subjects and specialized ones in line with the guidelines from the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education or the characteristics of schools. Based on the formation of the national curriculum, the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education can make more specific standards for the curriculum. Accordingly, the standards for the credit units of specialized subjects in specialized high schools vary from cities to provinces. The credit units for specialized subjects varies depending upon cities/provinces and schools, but in general, it is approximately 90-110.
Once the credit units for the organization of specialized subjects are decided, detailed specialized subjects are produced. Through a requirement analysis for relevant persons in industries (using DACUM Occupational Analysis), the needed knowledge, technology, and attitude on subjects is determined. The related contents are required to decide whether they are in line with subjects presented in the national curriculum. And then, the relevant subject is selected, or if needed, the subject is newly created. The credit units for each subject are determined by the superintendent of the Metropolitan and Provincial offices of Education.
The subjects presented in the national curriculum contain sector-related ones, and there are one or two compulsory subjects by sector. Sectors are divided into five groups: Agricultural Biotechnology Industry, Industry, Commerce Information, Fishery
& Marine, and Vocational Home Economics. Each sector has its compulsory subjects:
the Agricultural Biotechnology Industry sector contains the “Understanding of Agriculture” and “Basic Agriculture Technology”; the Industry sector has “Introduction to Industry” and “Basic Drawing”; Commerce Information includes “Commercial Economy” and “Accounting Principles”; the Fishery & Marine sector contains “The Understanding of the Ocean” and “Basics of the Fishery-Marine Industry”; and the Vocational Home Economics sector has “Human Development” and “The Understanding of the Life Service Industry.”
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Each specialized high school has an “operation committee of the school curriculum”
to achieve the rational organization and effective operation of the curriculum. The teaching staff, experts in the curriculum, and school parents all take part in the committee. It is necessary for people engaged in the industry sector, in particular, to participate in the committee at specialized high schools.
(3) The training, securing, and assignment of teachers
Those who are responsible for assigning teachers depend on the type of school establishment: the assignment of teachers for public schools is delegated to the Metropolitan and Provincial offices of Education; the assignment of teachers for private schools is delegated to an educational foundation. Accordingly, teachers at public schools can be transferred to schools within cities and provinces, while ones at private schools can work for a long term until they reach their retirement age.
Preliminary teachers are qualified to be teachers without examination only if they are trained at a teacher training institute. A preliminary teacher is a person who completes major subjects with a score of 50 or more and a course in teaching with a score of 22 or more in relation to a credential in the subject at a teacher training institute recognized by the government. He/she must obtain an average score of 75 or more in major subjects and an average score of 80 or more in courses in teaching.
Teachers’ aptitude and personality tests are tested without written examination.
The procedure for the appointment of teachers is taken by the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education and an educational foundation by figuring out the demand for teachers by school (a vacant post arising from retirement, securing teachers due to the reform of departments, etc.). Teachers for public schools are appointed by the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education through three stages of selection:
The first stage includes a multiple-choice written test; the second stage covers an essay-type written test; and the third stage involves an in-depth interview on the aptitude for the teaching profession, teaching competency, and a performance/experiment assessment. Teachers appointed after the three stages will work for the relevant schools. In the case of public schools, teachers work for a fixed period at the same
school, so they will be transferred to other schools when the fixed period expires. The retirement age for teachers is 62.
When teachers are appointed, they are subject to competence training for self- improvement. Competence training is divided into three parts: a competence program for performance, a competence program for certification, and special competence programs. The competence program for performance takes two forms: a general competence program designed to improve instructional method and general education and acquire new information and technology; and a performance competence program designed to enhance the necessary capability and qualities for job performance and workplace. The competence program for certification also takes two forms: competence training to acquire higher-level certification and competence training to acquire new certification. The competence program to acquire higher-level certification includes a first-level regular teacher program, a program for principals, and a program for assistant principals. Competence training to acquire new certification covers minor and double majors that can be converted to a credential in the subject if there is reduction in manpower requirement due to a reduction in or abolition of departments in a specific field, driven by industrial and vocational shifts. Finally, the special competence program includes college/university-commissioned training to acquire degrees, long- term overseas study for teachers, and long-term overseas experience training. All or some of the expenses for such teacher training programs falls on the government within the range of budget.
Where there are new subjects or subjects focused on practical training, industrial- educational teachers are appointed for a certain period. The principal of a school is entitled to directly appoint industrial-educational teachers who are working for industries or have experience in industries. Industrial-educational teachers are responsible for intensive education for specialized subjects by combining field experience in industrial settings with academic knowledge. Specialized high schools are entitled to appoint industrial-educational teachers up to a third of the number of teachers in the school.
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(4) Selection of students
In the admission process for selecting new students in specialized high schools, the application period, the application procedures, the application method, and the standard for selection depend on the Offices of Education and schools. Generally, the process is held between September and November in the previous year. The application method is divided into general ones and special ones. Each Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education establishes a plan for the admission process of specialized high schools. The main contents are as follows.
First, depending on the selection period, schools select applicants by dividing preceding-period high schools and latter-period high schools. Specialized high schools are preceding-period high schools, and applicants can only apply for one school. In recent years, as more and more students have wanted to apply for specialized high schools, there are lots of applicants. Those who are admitted can apply for latter- period high schools (mainly general high schools).
Second, the area of student recruiting varies according to school. In general, specialized high schools select students within the relevant cities/provinces, while some specialized high schools select students from across the nation.
Third, the standards for selection include middle school records, a test for selection, a performance test, an aptitude test, an experiment/practical test, and an interview.
The records compose grades in the curriculum and a personality score.
Fourth, although specialized high schools generally select students by means of general application, they can select students by special application (about 20%). The method for special applications is set by the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education, and those who are excellent in a specific field, win prizes in various competitions, wish to enter the workforce, or receive a letter of recommendation from the principal of a school can apply with this way.
(5) The operation of the curriculum
The curriculum of specialized high schools is based on the schedule of the curriculum for three years stipulated in the period of admission to the school. In the first year of
high school, students learn regular subjects. In the second year, students learn regular subjects and specialized ones (50:50). In the third year, students mainly study specialized subjects.
Besides the regular curriculum session, various activities such as circle activities, courses for acquiring qualifications, and special education are carried out after school or during vacation.
In the second semester of the third year, students mainly perform field training in industrial settings, which is a prerequisite for graduation. Students who wish to find jobs engage in field training in the industry sector. After they complete the required hours for work experience, most of them work for the industries.
(6) The assessment of operating performance of specialized high schools
As mentioned before, specialized high schools are separately designated by the superintendent of the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education. Accordingly, they carry out assessments of operating performance on a regular basis. Based on the results, it is determined whether or not they can continue to be specialized high schools.
The assessment of the operating performance of specialized high schools is made by the superintendent every five years under the Enforcement Decree of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The procedures, methods, indicators, and standards for the assessment of performance are stipulated in the Education Rules of a City/
providence. As the assessment was prescribed by the Act for the first time in 2010, the assessments and ensuing results will allow such schools to continue to be designated as specialized high schools by February 2015.
As for the operation of specialized high schools, the assessment indicators for performance were autonomously set by the Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education. However, the Ministry of Education recommends 18 example indicators, dividing them into five areas: the management of students, the supporting system of employment, teachers’ competencies, the operation of the curriculum, and the performance of the education. The management of students includes the rate of new student enrollment and the dropout rate, while the supporting system of employment is
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engaged in securing manpower to support employment and the accomplishment of attracting outside projects. Teachers’ competencies cover the leadership of the principals of a school, the rate of participation in competence training, and competence training per teacher. In the case of the operation of the curriculum, there are the rate of organizing specialized subjects, the number of industries under an agreement, the level of participation in education by industries under an agreement, the level of participation in field training in industrial settings, and the level of participation in training in industrial settings. The performance of the education involves the rate of the acquisition of qualifications, the number of the average acquisition of qualifications, the employment rate, the level of satisfaction by industry sector, the level of satisfaction by high school graduates, and the level of satisfaction by school parents.