Latest news with #Eiken
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: New 'Pre-2 Plus' Eiken English test level introduced
TOKYO -- The Eiken Foundation of Japan has started a new English test level. It is called "Grade Pre-2 Plus." This new test is between Grade Pre-2 and Grade 2. Grade Pre-2 is about the same as middle high school students' English. Grade 2 is for students who finish high school. Grade Pre-2 Plus will be for students in the last years of high school. The foundation said, "We hope students use Grade Pre-2 Plus as an easy step to Grade 2." Now, the step from Grade Pre-2 to Grade 2 is big for many students. Students usually need two years to move from Grade Pre-2 to Grade 2. From Grade 5 to Grade Pre-2, students usually need only about one year for each level. The new grade can help students try for Grade 2. This is the first new Eiken level since 1994. Other Eiken test levels do not change. Students can apply until May 7 for the next Eiken tests. The tests will be in many places around Japan in June and July. (Japanese original by Kengo Miura, Tokyo City News Department) Vocabulary: foundation: a group to give money to help certain activities, like education introduce: to start something new level: how easy or difficult something is motivated: want to keep trying hard stepping stone: a smaller step that helps you do something bigger later apply: to ask to join or do something (for example, taking a test)
The Mainichi
22-04-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
'Grade Pre-2 Plus' added to Japan's Eiken English proficiency test as stepping stone
TOKYO -- The Eiken Foundation of Japan has introduced a new level of the Eiken English language proficiency test, "Grade Pre-2 Plus," starting from the current fiscal year. The new level is positioned between Grade 2 and Grade Pre-2. "We hope applicants will utilize Grade Pre-2 Plus as a familiar target level to pass Grade 2," the Tokyo-based public interest incorporated foundation explained, citing a "high wall" between Grade 2 and Grade Pre-2 in terms of the level of difficulty. An analysis of applicant data of Eiken, formally the Jitsuyo Eigo Gino Kentei (Test in Practical English Proficiency), by the foundation has revealed that it took about a year on average for applicants to pass the next grade when they were between Grade 5 and Grade Pre-2 levels, but it took nearly two years for holders of Grade Pre-2 to pass Grade 2. The foundation decided to introduce Grade Pre-2 Plus to keep applicants motivated by using the new level as a stepping stone for attempting to pass Grade 2. Grade Pre-2 Plus is the first new Eiken grade to be established since 1994, when Grade Pre-2 was introduced. The foundation says Grade Pre-2 is equivalent to high school intermediate level and Grade 2 is high school graduate level, while Grade Pre-2 Plus is upper high school year level. There are no changes to the level of difficulty in other existing grades. Applications for the first batch of Eiken exams for fiscal 2025 are being accepted until May 7, and the tests will be given at venues across the country in June and July.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Byron Public Schools prepares to revert to previous Title IX policy without reference to gender identity
Feb. 4—BYRON, Minn. — In the wake of changes on the national stage, Byron Public Schools is getting ready to revert to an earlier version of its Title IX policy that would eliminate certain definitions related to the LGBTQ+ community. The district's School Board discussed the issue on Monday, Feb. 3. A vote on the change is expected at a future meeting. The version of the policy the district is reverting to doesn't include specific references to sexual orientation or gender identity. Leading up to the conversation about the policy change, School Board member Alisha Eiken read a statement about her support for students who could be impacted. "I know we have families and students who are feeling unsafe as our federal laws change," Eiken said. "Regardless of how our federal laws change over the coming months and years, our district is committed to all students' safety and well-being. To all of our students, and especially our trans and nonbinary students, you are loved, and you are needed, and you are a very valuable part of our district." The change would be a quick turnaround, as Byron Public Schools approved the most recent version of the policy in December. The policy currently states the district "does not discriminate on the basis of sex, including discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation and gender identity." The version of the policy that the district will revert to states "the school district does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its education or activities." It does not reference anything related to sexual orientation or gender identity. The current version of the policy is 29 pages long. The version the district will go back to is 19 pages. Superintendent Mike Neubeck said he had spoken about the policy earlier that day with the district's legal counsel. Neubeck said the district is obligated to change the policy since the current version of the federal Title IX rule, which the district's policy is based on, is no longer valid. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the U.S. Department of Education released a statement to further elaborate on the situation. According to the statement, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky "issued a decision that vacated the entirety of the 2024 Title IX Rule nationwide." The statement from the Department of Education also cited President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." The statement went on to say that the Department of Education "must enforce Title IX consistent with President Trump's Order." Eiken asked if the district could amend other policies to protect students in light of the fact that its Title IX policy will no longer have that specific language. In response, Board member David Wernimont clarified that the district's policy on harassment, violence and bullying already includes language referring to sexual orientation and gender identity and that it wouldn't need to be amended further because of that. The conversation about updating the district's policies came amid even larger changes in the national news. On Monday, the same day as Byron Public Schools' meeting, multiple media outlets began reporting that President Trump was weighing a decision to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education entirely.
