Strictly speaking, there is no such thing. But if you really want to find a comparable exam in Holland, there is. Dutch children are about 12 years old, that is, when they graduate from primary school, they have to take an exam called Cito toets; For them, this is also the first and very important exam in their lives. Yes, you heard me right. Dutch children will experience such an exam similar to the Chinese college entrance examination when they are 12 years old.
This exam can be said to be a watershed exam for Dutch children. If you do well in the exam, you can enter a good educational institution in Holland step by step. If you don't do well in the exam, you can only go to an ordinary technical vocational school. Does it really sound a bit like the national college entrance examination? Next, Bian Xiao would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce the Dutch education system.
First of all, talk about basic schools. The primary school in the Netherlands is an eight-year program, starting at the age of four, from Groep 1 to Groep8. Groep 1 and 2 are equivalent to kindergartens in China, where children's main task is to play. Of course, playing is also purposeful, learning in a happy game! The main learning content not only covers courses that stimulate children's imagination, creativity and practical ability, but also helps children learn to express themselves and get along with others. Most schools and classrooms are also decorated like amusement parks, so that children can have toys they want to play with anytime and anywhere.
Starting from Groep3, children will learn basic reading, writing and arithmetic in addition to games; When they arrive at Groep4 or Groep5, they will be exposed to language courses. Many Dutch children can speak at least two languages, which has a lot to do with this kind of education. This all-round learning will continue until Groep8. At the end of last semester, all primary school students will take an exam to preliminarily determine the future development direction of their children-CITO EITOETS BASIS ONDEWIJS (usually abbreviated as Cito toets). This achievement will be combined with children's interests, parents' opinions and school teachers' evaluation, and finally determine how children decide their next step (that is, middle school). However, it should be noted that this Cito toets exam is not mandatory and unified, and the school has the right to decide and adopt an examination method that is more in line with its own system and educational philosophy.
But in any case, when Dutch primary school graduates, they will face a big watershed in their lives. For secondary education (schools), the Netherlands is usually divided into three categories: VMBO, HAVO and VWO.
VMBO
VMBO (full name: Voorbereidend Middel Baal Beroepsonderwijs) is actually a primary vocational secondary school education, which is equivalent to a technical school or vocational secondary school in China. Students who don't like or are not suitable for study can choose VMBO, and the majors they can choose are architecture, nursing and carpentry. The academic system is 4 years. After graduation, students can enter a higher level of MBO, that is, secondary vocational education college, and continue to study their majors in depth.
In addition, students who have the will and ability to continue their studies can also choose HAVO (Advanced General Middle School Education) or VWO (University Preparatory Middle School).
HAVO
HAVO (full name: Heger Alger Wolger Zete Ondeweijs) is a senior middle school education. The course of study is relatively orthodox, lasting for five years, including language, physical education, culture, art, economy, physics, mathematics and so on. Students can also choose different directions according to their own interests. After graduation, students can enter HBO, a higher vocational school, usually called hogeschool, which is equivalent to the education level of a university, and the academic system is still five years.
VWO
VWO (full name: Voorbereidend Wetenschapplijk Onderwijs) is a pre-university middle school with a schooling of 6 years; This model is suitable for children who are interested in learning and research and have expertise in a certain field. After graduation, you can choose to enter a different comprehensive university, Universiteit, and then study. The proportion of children studying in VWO is the lowest in the Dutch secondary education system. For many families in China, they are proud that their children can study in VWO.
For Dutch children, these choices look very different; However, although the choice has something to do with Citotoets, it doesn't really mean "one exam is for life". For example, a child who has just entered VMBO suddenly becomes interested in learning and research, so he still has the opportunity to take HAVO-level studies and exams. Even after completing the whole MBO, they can get the qualification to enter a comprehensive university by taking the VWO graduation exam. On the contrary, if children are new to VWO, but find it difficult to adapt to and cope with the difficulty of learning, they can also transfer to HAVO or MBO, which has lower learning requirements (pressure).
Generally speaking, the Dutch education system is very flexible and humanized, which is called "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude". Make flexible changes and adjustments according to the specific conditions of students, fully explore the potential and interest of each student, and provide fair development opportunities for each child. In this way, Dutch children always have the opportunity to find the most suitable learning field and learning style, which is probably the success of Dutch education. The most important thing is not to take the exam, but to educate everyone according to their different potentials and specialties, so as to help them find the most suitable positions and give full play to their greatest value.