The North Jeolla Province Office of Education held a '2025 Elementary Education Curriculum Policy Briefing' at Hwanghak Hall, Jeonju National University of Education, on the 11th.

This briefing was conducted for about 400 elementary school principals and educational professionals in the province, focusing on sharing information about elementary education curriculum policies and enhancing understanding in the field.

In the first part of the briefing, policies on basic academic skills, academic improvement, and school evaluation were introduced. Basic academic skills policies included cooperative teaching with two teachers per class, Dream School, support for students with reading difficulties or borderline intelligence, supplementary subject programs, and learning support tutors. Regarding academic improvement, the introduction of an elementary vocabulary dictionary with 1600 words, elementary vocabulary competition, AI-based learning support system, and operation of research schools were included. In the school evaluation section, the background and necessity of the improved mandatory indicators introduced this year were explained.

In the second part, policies related to elementary education curriculum, classes, and student evaluations were discussed. The North Jeolla Province Office of Education announced plans to expand the comprehensive evaluation up to the third grade of elementary school and introduce the North Jeolla Province type CBT (Computer Base Test) evaluation system to strengthen the diversity and fairness of the evaluation method.

Kim Yoon-beom, Director of Elementary Special Education, said, "Through this briefing, we will strive to increase the understanding of policies in the field and improve the satisfaction of students and parents."

The North Jeolla Province Office of Education was the first among provincial offices of education to introduce a comprehensive evaluation in 2024. The office explains that the purpose is to check individual students' learning levels and strengthen customized support, but in reality, the evaluation results are divided into four grades: A, B, C, D, which have become a point of comparison among parents and students.

In particular, there are concerns that private education may overheat from lower grades as the comprehensive evaluation is expanded to the third grade of elementary school from 2025. It is expected to be controversial as the burden of evaluation increases, the learning gap deepens, and the early private education market is likely to be activated.

Also, as the evaluation method is conducted through a computer-based test (CBT), there is a high possibility that it will flow into an objective-centered evaluation. In this case, the proportion of descriptive questions or questions requiring logical thinking may decrease, posing a risk of inhibiting creative learning. Furthermore, if standardized question types are emphasized, it may create an environment that makes it difficult to nurture students' diverse thinking skills.

As a result, there is a demand for careful operation and preparation of remedial measures, as the comprehensive evaluation may act as a factor that increases the academic burden on students and inhibits the diversity and creativity of education, contrary to its original purpose.