A Comparative Study of Academic Assessments between Local High School Education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in China

Abstract

Since the 1980s, Chinese education has placed a greater emphasis on internationalization and the personal development of students. While international schools, such as International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) schools, are on the rise, China is continuously changing its assessment methods, including the Gaokao and comprehensive quality assessment. Nonetheless, Chinese students' personal development falls short of expectations. Based on previous research, Chinese Education Bureau, and official IB data, this paper reviews the literature and compares the evaluation methods of IBDP courses and local Chinese high schools from an internal and external perspective. The results indicate that exams continue to constitute a significant portion of the assessment method in China's local secondary schools. However, the evaluation method that focuses primarily on assessing students' personal qualities is highly subjective, and most students and teachers continue to ignore it. In China, local high schools are evaluated in an insufficient manner. In China, students enrolled in local high school courses demonstrated inferior academic performance, learning ability, and mental and spiritual development compared to those enrolled in IBDP courses.