Selective and non-selective schools. What are entrance exams for?
First, let's clarify the terminology.
A selective school uses a selection process. Selective schools attract gifted and talented children from different regions from around the country. They aim to develop their abilities, and work towards their admission to elite universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Yale among others. These schools take pride in their achievements and place an emphasis on the outstanding results of their students, any victories in federal and international academic competitions and Olympiads.
Obviously, if a school only admits the most talented students, it is able to achieve the highest academic results. But what happens if a school admits any child who applies?
A non-selective school can only reject an application if its facilities cannot accommodate the student's special needs (for example, no ramps or elevators may be a reason to deny admission to a child with disabilities). Many government schools (excluding Special schools), private schools, family schools, and international schools are also non-selective, meaning they do not carry out a selection process.
Parents may mistakenly believe that if their child is not accepted into a selective school or gymnasium, it means their students are limited in terms of their careers or future education. However, nowadays non-selective schools aim to provide a rigorous education through a personalized approach and the delivery of diverse educational programmes.
In non-selective schools, the purpose of entrance exams is to ascertain the potential of students who are not necessarily the "top" candidates. These schools aim to determine the potential of each individual child in order to tailor their education to their unique skill set. For example, not every student will thrive in an intense academic environment with a wide array of subjects. Entrance exams enable a school to identify a child’s personal strengths and weaknesses and develop a suitable plan for their education and support.
For instance, additional English language classes or psychological support may be offered to help overcome shyness. Such individualized approaches enable students to succeed and enable them to submit competitive university applications.
Selective schools conduct entrance exams for the purpose of selecting students, whereas non-selective schools use these exams to determine the individual needs of students and develop appropriate educational programmes.
It is also important for a teacher to have a clear understanding of their class. In the absence of entrance exams, the first month of teaching is spent getting to know each child, their academic level, and any unique approaches.
One of the advantages of selective schools is the opportunity to educate talented students who may not have the financial means to attend prestigious private schools. These schools assume that students already have a high level of academic attainment, so they offer educational content at a higher and deeper level. Meanwhile, in private non-selective schools, lessons are differentiated. Teachers prepare individualized tasks to enable students of different abilities to make progress.
Selective and non-selective schools have different goals and strategies, both in the teaching process and in the way they deliver entrance exams.
Selective schools choose students based on their subject knowledge and focus on their academic achievements. They place special emphasis on academic knowledge, skills, and competencies, expecting students to meet a certain level of competence.
Assessment in non-selective schools follows a different strategy. While they also assess students' level of knowledge, they often use psychological interviews and personal meetings to gain a deeper understanding of each child's unique characteristics. For non-selective schools, it is important to evaluate the student in every aspect in order to determine how to provide support and assistance. Non-selective schools may conduct testing in core subjects (for example, checking English language proficiency is mandatory in international schools), but they also include psychological assessments, meetings with teachers or the principal.
Thus, the process of entrance assessment and interviews is necessary for all schools but should be tailored to the goals and strategies of each educational institution.
