7.
Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the question or complete the statements with no more than 15 words.
Finland is an innovative (创新的)country when it comes to education. It's consistently one of
the highest performing developed countries on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an important tool for measuring education systems worldwide. Here are some things Finland does differently — and arguably better — than the US when it comes to education.
1 Better standardized tests
Finnish students only take one standardized test during their entire primary and secondary
schooling. By contrast, the US, driven by No Child Left Behind requires students in third through eighth grade to take annual standardized tests to track their performance. Critics claim constant testing doesn't make students any smarter but instead creates a "teaching to the test" environment in schools.
2 More time for play
Students in Finland spend relatively little time on homework, according to the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Finnish students spend 2.8 hours a week on homework. This contrasts noticeably from the 6.1 hours American students spend per week. Finns place a lot of value on free time and play. This "deficit of play" for American students may lead to additional anxiety and other mental health issues, the psychologist and research professor Peter Gray has written.
3 College is free
In Finland, not only are bachelor degree programs completely free of tuition fees, so are
master and doctoral programs. Students pursue higher education goals without the mountains of
student loan debt that many American students face. And the same goes for foreign students. Tuition is free for any student accepted into a college or graduate program in Finland.
4 Elevated teaching profession
In Finland, teaching is one of the most revered professions with a relatively high barrier to
entry. Only one in 10 students who apply to teacher education programs are admitted. Teachers in Finland are treated like professors at universities, and they teach fewer hours during the day than US teachers, with more time devoted to lesson planning. What’s more, they also get paid slightly more in Finland. The average teacher in the US makes about $ 41,000 a year, compared to $ 43,000 in Finland, according to OECD data.