Schools face challenges in evaluating students not attending classes

Japan Times

17-03-2025

As the number of elementary and junior high school students not attending classes reaches a record high 340,000 nationwide, determining how to evaluate their learning achievements outside of school has become a challenging issue in the education sector.
In August last year, the education ministry revised part of the enforcement regulations of the School Education Act to ensure that learning outcomes achieved outside of school are appropriately evaluated. While some education boards have created guidelines for implementation, there is also a concern that assessing students through grades may run counter to supporting those who cannot go to schools for various reasons.
At Narumi Junior High School in Nagoya, there is a special room called Na-ru-mu where students who have stopped attending regular classes can spend their time freely. Currently, eight students come to the room between one and three times a week, with some studying independently while others spend their time reading or playing board games.
Students are free to decide what they will do when they come to the room. Those who study at Na-ru-mu use worksheets or online materials, and they are also allowed to take term exams from the school in a separate classroom.
The students' learning achievements at Na-ru-mu are reflected in their grades, but Principal Futoshi Hattori said it is difficult to evaluate them as they are assessed in the same way as other students in regular classes. Evaluations are made not only by test scores and assignment submissions, but also by class participation and engagement, he said.
'For some students (at Na-ru-mu), report cards, themselves, can be a heavy burden,' Hattori said, adding that it is essential to carefully listen to the wishes of both the students and their parents.
In 2019, the education ministry issued a notice to boards of education nationwide, urging them to appropriately evaluate the learning achievements of students who are not attending schools.
When the ministry revised the enforcement regulations of the School Education Act in August, it set certain standards in evaluating these students. The ministry said schools must ensure that what the students are learning is in line with the curriculum of their enrolled schools, and that their learning progress is continuously monitored in collaboration with guardians or private organizations.
A report card of a junior high school student attending a free school in Nagoya. While she received grade '4' in mathematics, she got the lowest '1' in music and other subjects focused on class engagement. |
Chunichi Shimbun
Education boards across the country are now working to come up with specific evaluation methods.
The Nagano Prefectural Board of Education has published guidelines on how to evaluate the achievements of students in various learning settings, such as at home, in-school safe spaces and in alternative educational facilities that are generally called 'free schools.' The guidelines give examples of how achievements under different learning methods can be assessed.
At Free School Mirai, an alternative educational facility in the city of Nagano, students from some junior high schools whose principals have given permission take their school term exams at the facility.
Free School Mirai receives exam materials from the students' enrolled schools, administers the tests under staff supervision, and then returns the completed answer sheets to the schools. Currently, four of the 20 junior high school students at the facility are taking term exams this way.
At the facility, students also work on writing and other assignments given by their schools, which are reflected in their grades. The facility regularly reports on the students' learning progress to their respective schools, and some schools even incorporate this feedback into the comments section of the students' report cards.
However, these examples are rare, and cases in which learning at alternative facilities is reflected in grades remain limited.
Many students at free schools are not in a state of mind to focus on studies, and the activities of these facilities vary widely depending on the organizations managing them, making it difficult to fit them into the grading system at schools, experts say.
The Nagoya Board of Education has also created guidelines on evaluating students not attending classes. However, the extent to which these measures are implemented varies by school.
An official from the city's education board says that while it is important to recognize these students' efforts, it is also difficult to evaluate them. 'For children with low self-esteem, evaluating them with grades may run counter to providing support in an effort to bring out their strengths,' the official said.
Eijiro Arai, associate professor of education at Shinshu University, pointed out that the fundamental issue should be how to approach and support children not attending classes before considering how to evaluate them with grades. 'Discussion is needed for new assessment methods that can help each child grow in their own way."
At one free school in Nagoya, students have voiced concerns over how their efforts at the facility are evaluated.
A second-year junior high school student who attends the facility said her report card from the school was filled with the lowest grade of '1' while she was unable to attend classes. 'I felt like I was being completely denied," she recalled.
Before she stopped attending classes, she had been among the top students, with good grades. The Nagoya facility she currently attends has a structured daily schedule and provides academic support as well. "If my efforts here were recognized, I would be able to feel my own achievements again," she said.
However, she also revealed her mixed feelings, explaining that academic pressure was one of the reasons she stopped attending school. "If I feel like I have to work even harder, it might become too overwhelming," she said.
Although she now takes her school's term exams, the differences in learning between her school and the Nagoya facility add to her burden.
Another second-year junior high school student attending the same facility is studying hard with the aim of going on to high school.
In the entrance exams of public high schools in Aichi Prefecture, long-term absentees are given a choice of admission method that does not weigh heavily on school grades. However, the student still worries that he is at a disadvantage compared to other students.
He also voiced his frustration that his school does not provide any academic support. "I'm doing the best I can in my own way, but I don't think my school will acknowledge that."
This section features topics and issues from the Chubu region covered by the Chunichi Shimbun. The original article was published Jan. 20.