Translated material
All -Russian School Olympiad: more and more problems
On March 28, the final stage of the All -Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren started. The victory in this intellectual championship of Russia for children from 15 to 18 years gives the right to enter a university without exams. The price of the issue is high. Therefore, it is so important to understand how objectively and honestly the final of the All -Russian Federation takes place. Natalya Ivanova-Gladilshchikova talks about the problems of the Olympics .
Without a paid training, the Olympics cannot be won?
Everyone understands that participants in the final of the All -Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren should be in the same position. Otherwise, it is impossible to talk about objectivity. That is, schoolchildren should not know in advance not only the tasks that they will be offered (such plums are simply criminal), but, perhaps, even types of tasks. Does this really happen? Let's see.
Let us give an example associated with the All -Russian Olympiad in the Russian language. The second tour of the final last two years has passed differently, its genre has changed. It was necessary to comment on the archaic text (explain some expressions, write an essay about the features of the language). Then the guys were given a lecture on one of the sections of the language, after which they had to make a analysis of some kind of language phenomenon, given the methodology of this lecture. Team coaches do not exclude that in 2015 a new version of the second round may appear.
Well, okay, you say, participants should be ready for everything (this is the essence of the Olympiad). But in reality, not everyone is ready for everything, but only those who paid for the “additional classes” a nonal amount of money. The fact is that a certain non -profit organization “Mendeleev’s Charitable Heritage Foundation” offers everyone paid trainings preparing for the All -Russian Olympiad for ten subjects under the name “Way to Olympus”. It is painted on their website how great they are preparing students in grades 9-11 for the All-Russian Olympiad, because the authors of the Olympiad tasks are engaged in the children! The cost of participation in the training is 18 thousand rubles with accommodation in a hostel, three meals a day, a cultural and excursion program, payment of transport in Moscow. With independent placement - 12 thousand.
One that the authors of the Olympiad tasks are engaged with the guys, ”says that“ paid ”children are in a privileged position. And the scientific director of the project in the Russian language is the chairman of the Central Subject-Methodological Commission and the jury of the All-Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren in the Russian language, Doctor Andrei Grigoryev. As stated on the site, other members of the CPC take part in the training. And in the program of classes - “Working of materials for various stages of the Olympiads”, “Analysis of tasks of different years”, “Working of non -standard situations and creative tasks in various areas” ...
But since not all team leaders consider it possible to force parents to give money to such “trainings”, some are losing. It turns out that they were punished for refusing to pay money.
You need to guess the answer of the jury, even if it is wrong
There are also problems with evaluating work. If the points for the Olympiad tasks are underestimated for someone (this, according to the coaches, happens), it is extremely difficult to refute the decision of the jury. If only because the work and a complete set of tasks with the answers of last year appear on the site only in September, and analysis of errors - even after many months.
Almost nothing can be proved at the appeal. Even if the response of the central subject commission is incorrect (and this also happens) or the question is incorrectly posed by it. Iron installation: the criteria for evaluating the answers of the appeal are not subject to . As a result, it turns out that it is necessary to guess the answer of the jury. The one that is recorded from them. One boy answered the question of who the bear is: this is the one who knows honey (that is, he knows where he is). The same meaning of this word is in the famous Etymological Dictionary of Fasmer. But, it turns out, in the view of the CPC, the correct answer is this: a bear is one who eats honey. And the boy made a gross mistake. According to the jury, children should show the quick wits and knowledge of the group , and not readiness. All!
History with geography
The situation with the Olympiad in geography is even more confusing. It is carried out in three stages: solutions to problems, practical and test tours. And if at the first (on it you can get 100 points for solving problems), children see the results of the work and, knowing the criteria for their evaluation, can appeal in, then the second, practical tour, which is estimated at 70 points, does not understand, and it is impossible to submit an appeal. A practical tour is one or another route along some unfamiliar to the participants of the area that needs to be passed and performed by certain Olympiad tasks. For example, participants determine soil types. The answers are not oral, everything is recorded on the forms that the schoolchildren pass the jury. That is, there is an opportunity for appeal. But for some reason, even criteria for which such tasks are evaluated are unknown to the team coaches. Therefore, at this stage it is easy to falsify the results.
It is clear that the tasks of the second round need to be done open. But this, again, is prevented by the position of the central subject-methodical commission.
Still geographers talk about the already traditional hegemony of the region, which holds the Olympiad. Last year, it took place in Orenburg, and in the one before - in Saratov. So, at the Saratov Olympiad there was no team from Orenburg at all: they could not score the necessary points. But at the next, homely Olympics, the Orenburg team was represented at once by 12 participants. Other regions brought five or even one person each. This year the Olympics will be held in Pyatigorsk. And again, the same story: last year's Olympics there were no representatives of the Stavropol Territory at all, but in this - five or six people went to the finals (and with very high results).
There are other privileges for the team of the host side: participants from other regions last year were not allowed to walk around the city, to find out the area (the field tour was in the park). In fact, the guys should get acquainted with the territory, be able to freely move in space.
It is impossible to control how the work of the All -Russian final is evaluated. At the final stage, where not a thousand, but only 200 participants, for some reason, work can not scan. After 2-3 months, the results are laid out on the site, but this no longer matters (admission to the university is completed).
We need public observers
Everyone knows that public observers are now present on the exam. And although their control is far (for many reasons) is far from perfect, it is still independent control from the outside. So, if public observers were present at the final of the All -Russian Olympiad, they could at least monitor any violations related to the placement, conditions of the existence of participants. And at the maximum had the right to attend, inter alia, on the appeal, to ensure that scans of work quickly laid out on sites.
In addition, it would be important that the organizers publish information about the number of participants represented by all regions; In order to quickly appear intermediate and final results.
All this is real. The All -Russian Olympiad in literature was transformed for the better. There would be a desire!