Korean Job Discussion Forums

cheolsu · Joined: 16 Jan 2009

I don't think this has been posted here, so here's a link to the (Korean-language) article that came out yesterday.

http://m.news.naver.com/read.nhn?mode=LSD&sid1=001&oid=022&aid=0002541992

thunderbird · Joined: 18 Aug 2009

Theyll never get it and screw themselves to eternity. So we'll always have work here. Theyll never bring up ageneration of english speakers

waynehead · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Location: Jongno

Sorry, my Korean's not good enough to be sure: are they saying that the NEAT will never come into play, or that it's being delayed more? Last I heard it was pushed back 5 years or so.

happiness · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

I dont know rightly, but I always felt NEAT was just a me too grab for the Test Taking Market locally

fustiancorduroy · Joined: 12 Jan 2007

Having been exposed frequently to the current 수능 English test at my FLHS job and having developed more than a dozen full NEAT tests, I can say without hesitation the NEAT is a far superior English test than the current 수능 test. But, for the majority of Korean students, I do think the NEAT would be a bit too difficult, to say the least. There's a greater variety of skills tested in the listening and reading sections, and the fact that there are writing and speaking tests also make it too challenging for the average Korean student to do even remotely well on.

joeydonuts · Joined: 19 Nov 2012 Location: Seoul

hogwonguy1979 · Joined: 22 Dec 2003 Location: the racoon den

Well I'm glad to see writing and speaking on the NEAT tests as at the univ level we are starting to require more writing/speaking (ie academic presentations) even for the required courses and maybe that will get that taught more at the ms and hs level.

This was the first semester we had a writing/presentation components in our classes and our freshmen were totally unprepared for it. Maybe once this gets implemented our quality will go up

Weigookin74 · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

I don't know very much about either of these exams. But one may be too hard for students. English levels do increase here not because there has been a change in teaching methods (There hasn't), but because many kids and some teachers are learning through osmosis because of all us waygooks being around forcing them to speak more English than before.

My advice to the powers that be who may not listen anyways, keep us around for at least another decade, modify the curriculum, and adjust the age of introduction in the schools to English (start earlier than grade 3). Eventually, these things would allow a native successful Korean taught English program.

NohopeSeriously · Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 7:14 am Post subject:

This doesn't mean that NEAT will be disappeared sooner or later. I happened to talk to my student's parent not too long ago. She's an experienced English school teacher at a public middle school. I find it unusual about her comment.

She said that "NEAT wouldn't be gone. Some private pay-to-teach high schools will adopt NEAT no matter what mostly because NEAT is superior to suneung. The education officials don't understand the problems of public education and they never will. Otherwise, NEAT will make it practical for rich kids to become home-schooled in a better way at least in English. Even the Gyochong (the only official public teachers' union in South Korea) is at an endless civil war. There's nothing to expect other than reap the benefits of being a public school teacher."

This is something to think about from a K-teacher's point of view.

rockbilly · Joined: 19 Mar 2013

Inside information here:

Yes, it's replacing the English part of the Suneung.

How do I know? Because I'm now employed full-time working on the NEAT. Hell-for-leather, my boss trying for 24-hour days. Sorry, boss, I've gotta eat and sleep. Isn't that NEAT?

It's the next big thing and it's coming on FAST!

waynehead · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Location: Jongno

Like some others on this thread, i work at a high school, so this is important info for me and my co-workers/students. I'd love to hear more about this stuff, rockbilly, if you've got any more details to share.

liveinkorea316 · Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Location: South Korea

The article says that NEAT will not be implemented as planned until a panel of "experts" reviews it. It dowsing not say exactly what the problems with the NEAT are.

Weigookin74 · Joined: 26 Oct 2009

joeydonuts · Joined: 19 Nov 2012 Location: Seoul

liveinkorea316 · Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Location: South Korea

'NEAT 수능 대체 백지화' 소식은 17일 <세계일보>의 보도를 통해 알려졌다. 보도에 따르면 교육부 관계자는 "NEAT의 수능 대체 계획은 사실상 무산된 상태며, 아직 시험 자체를 폐지하는 단계는 아니다"라고 전한 것으로 알려졌다."
http://wowstar.wowtv.co.kr/news/view.asp?newsid=349

With my crude translation, the important quote in there is that a source within the Education Department has said that plans to put the NEAT into the SAT exam have been all but abandoned however the exam itself has not gone. Some universities are using it for admissions.