High Academic Expectations of Students in Kazakhstan
Introduction
Academic achievement represents performance results that indicate the proportions to which a student has accomplished specific goals that were the focus of performance in instructional environments, specifically in school and college. School systems mostly define the cognitive objective that either applies across multiple subject areas (e.g., critical thinking) or include the acquisition of knowledge and understanding in a specific intellectual domain (e.g., numeracy, literacy, science, history). Therefore, the academic achievement should be considered to be a multifaceted construct that comprises different domains of learning. Because the field of academic achievement is very wide-ranging and covers a broad variety of educational outcomes, the definition of academic achievement depends on the indicators used to measure it.
Among the many criteria that indicate academic achievement, there are very general indicators such as procedural and declarative knowledge acquired in an educational system, more curricular-based criteria such as grades or performance on an educational achievement test, and cumulative indicators of academic achievement such as educational degrees and certificates. All criteria have in common that they represent intellectual endeavors and thus, more or less, mirror the intellectual capacity of a person.
In developed societies, academic achievement plays an important role in every person’s life. Academic achievement as measured by the GPA (grade point average) or by standardized assessments designed for selection purpose such as the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) determines whether a student will have the opportunity to continue his or her education (e.g., to attend a university). Therefore, academic achievement defines whether one can take part in higher education, and based on the educational degrees one attains, influences one’s vocational career after education. Besides the relevance for an individual, academic achievement is of most importance for the wealth of a nation and its success. The strong association between a society’s level of academic achievement and positive socioeconomic development is one reason for conducting international studies on academic achievements, such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), administered by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The results of these studies provide information about different indicators of a nation’s academic achievement; such information is used to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a nation’s educational system and to guide educational policy decisions.
PISA opening opportunities for exchange of ideas.
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) assesses the extent to which students
near the end of compulsory education have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. Since 2000, PISA has been testing students worldwide in the key subjects: reading, mathematics, and science. The assessment also collects information on students' backgrounds and on how their schools are managed in an effort to identify the factors that influence students performance. PISA also regularly introduces new tests to assess students’ skills in other areas relevant to modern life, such as creative problem-solving and financial literacy and collaborative problem solving.
Policy makers use PISA result to gauge the knowledge and skills of students in their own countries in comparison with those in other countries, set policy targets against measurable goals achieved by other education systems, and learn from policies and practices applied elsewhere.
New Education System in Kazakhstan that meets International Standards
Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the former Soviet Republics all belonged to the same educational system. Since 1991 many of these new countries from the former Soviet Unions have developed their educational systems in response to new demands and trends in international educational development. The old Soviet educational system generally exists alongside new structures.
Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS) are an initiative of the government of Kazakhstan intended to educate the future intellectual leaders of the country. This network of elementary and secondary schools teaches students in a trilingual environment of Kazakh, Russian, and English. NIS accepts talented, motivated students, with the aim of developing them into critical thinkers and independent learners. NIS schools are located throughout Kazakhstan, with new campuses opening due to rapid expansion throughout 2014 and 2015. With the new system of education, Kazakhstan has high expectation of students achievements. I believe, with a new system of education, schools in Kazakhstan will accomplish their goals and will have an opportunity to prepare today's students for tomorrow leaders.
Kazakhstan ranks 49th in mathematics by PISA-2012
The OECD published the results of PISA program on December 3, 2013. Kazakhstan among 65 countries took 49 positions in mathematics, 52 in science, 63 in reading,
Participants of the international assessment compared with PISA- 2009 significantly improved their positions. Of the 64 countries and economies with trend data between 2003 and 2012, 25 improved in mathematics performance. Kazakhstan’s performance in comparison with the previous cycle of PISA- 2009 has been significantly improved in mathematics and science - 405-432 points and 400-425 score points, respectively.
Conclusion
As I learned from this unit, there are many factors that affect academic achievement of students. One of the main factors is a teacher because as a teacher, it is necessary to motivate students and help them recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers are important role models for students and have a big impact on helping shape, create, support and establish students’ strengths, goals, and knowledge. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of the effective qualities, skills, and characteristics that one brings into a learning environment.
So, what should I do to support my students and help them to reach their goals? First of all, I will build a healthy relationship with my students. As I already learned from this unit, creating a positive environment in the classroom is a key to student achievement. By building a healthy relationship with students, teachers will comfort the students and will gain trust from them, which create smooth and productive learning class time. I will have high expectations for my students by: keep challenging them, so they will keep improving themselves. by using effective strategies I will engage in the lesson whole my class and there will be no left behind students. by providing a proper feedback to motivate the students. Student learning can be positively impacted by the encouragement of teachers to their students. A teacher’s ideas and expectations of his or her students’ capabilities have an effect on student academic performance and achievements. If teachers believe in their students, their students begin to believe in themselves. Students take into effect the beliefs their teachers have on them and accept it as part of who they are and their abilities.
References
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Article Title Academic Achievement
Website Title Academic Achievement - Education - Oxford Bibliographies - obo
Kazakhstan ranks 49th in mathematics by PISA-2012. (2015, December 11). Retrieved from https://strategy2050.kz/en/news/4180
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Article Title Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) - Overview
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