Japanese version, here
Shoji Sugita
PrefaceThe Bill is " Gifted kids could leap into college".
I already summarized the outline of the Bill, AB 2607 in California and the topic of the Sacramento
Bee, August 1, 2002 and put some keypoints of them on my site in Japanese as
http//www.aba.ne.jp/~sugita/65j.htm/ . As for the information, I appreciate for their hospitality ; Rod
Paige; Department of Education U.S.A , Bob Shotts: Secretary of Education, California Department
of Educ., Josh Bento: Dollas Morning News, Grasshoffs, Ray: Assistant Director Governmental
Relations/Public Information Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Now, I will describe chiefly about the Japanese situation in English as follows:
But first, as for the Bill, it is still a little unclear as for the new law, for it passed the Assembly, but stayed
in the Senate and was not been sent to the Governor's desk yet. However I suppose it wil be enacted
sooner or later and will be executed under some conditions.
In California, there are system for smart students to leap into community colleges. In Japan, there are
problems for students to skip over a year of senior high school course into all colleges or universities.
Presently in Japan, a senior high school students have to be three years in their senior high schools
and they have to be 18 years old or older to apply to the entrance examination of colleges or
universities. Very few students can apply to some universities that have some special scientific graduate
schools and more they have to be recognized as suitable canditates by the special professors of those
universities. Such students are very, very few in Japan now and the system is impartial and too narrow
for all senior high school second grade students.
So, I propose a new system for all of the students which is more partial and accepts a wider range of
candidates. However we should consider the student's age, maturity, well-being, their physical and mental
condition. So I propose only one year of skipping over the senior high school course. And another point,
we have to change of the age limit of 18 years old to 17 years old to apply to the entrance examination of
colleges or universities.
For this reason, each prefectural board of education have to make a standard test for senior high school
second grade students and issue the certification of the application to colleges or universities based on
the score of the student. "Slow and Steady" is the best way in Japan.
This is the same idea as the system of teaching licenses in Japan. The licenses are issued by the
prefectural boards of education and are available nationwide. Whenever a prefectural board of education
employ a teacher, the board tests him or her with more examinations of their own.
So, when a college or university tests a student who gets such certification, the college or the university
would test the student with more examinations .Sometimes, the qualified students might have to stay
in third year class in the senior high school. It's OK, for it's the choice of the students. Some colleges or
universities might refuse the students, but this too is their choice.
Speaking of the history of the probem, there had been a similar system in Japan untill the end of World
War U. Some smart students could go into Military Academy and some high schools( old school system,
like Junior colleges at present ) a year earlier than ordinary students. My idea is just like this one with
equal and open access for everybody.. I will expect Japanese educators to get the same idea as mine or
find another solution to this difficult problem.
In addition, see the following: 61. UT "K-16 Iniitiative" and Japan. In addition: The Early High School
Graduation Program in Texas.
Described, September 11. 2002
In addition ...The Bill 2607 and 2626 were vetoed by the Governor on SEP 28, 2002 as the followings:
"I am returning Assembly Bill 2607 and 2627 without my signature". Gary Davis
