Jeonnam Gwangju Office of Education to Launch Nation’s First "Regional Joint Academic Assessment" Next Year

Computerized Grading and Individual Score Reports Provide a Reliable CSAT Benchmark
Residential Item Development System Introduced
Aiming to Lead the Nationwide Academic Assessment by 2029

The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education announced on September 10 that it will implement the "Jeonnam Gwangju Regional Joint Academic Assessment" next September, for the first time in the country, using the same system as the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

This new initiative is aimed at overcoming the limitations of existing mock exams and significantly strengthening local students’ actual competitiveness for college admissions. Until now, Jeonnam and Gwangju have each conducted their own mock tests for 12th-grade students, namely the "J-FINAL CSAT Mock Exam" and the "Final Completion Mock Assessment."

Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education

While these mock assessments have been positive in providing students with real-world test experience, the absence of an official computerized scoring system has made it difficult to accurately assess subject-level performance. Furthermore, due to the limits of the teacher pool for exam creation, some social studies and science subjects have been omitted—a point that has drawn criticism.

In response, the Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education will integrate the two regions’ mock assessments into a single, newly launched "Regional Joint Academic Assessment," modeled after the nationwide joint academic assessment (hereafter referred to as the academic assessment).

This new assessment system, like the academic assessment, will allow schools to register students through a computerized application process and will cover all CSAT subjects, including Korean, mathematics, English, Korean history, and both social and science studies. In particular, in addition to the distribution of answer keys and explanations, computerized grading and individual score analysis reports will be provided, offering examinees a comprehensive preview of the CSAT.

The infrastructure for ensuring the validity and reliability of the assessment will also be significantly enhanced. The office of education will establish the "Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Item Development Headquarters" and introduce a residential item development and review system. Furthermore, the plan includes building a computerized scoring management center at the level of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.

Through these upgrades, local schools will receive detailed assessment statistics packages, such as computerized OMR card grading, real-time processing of test-taker data, correct answer rate analysis by item, and achievement rate analysis by domain. Individual students will be provided with personal learning diagnostic reports and customized feedback. The goal is to nationalize and standardize this regional joint academic assessment model.

The new regional joint academic assessment will debut for 12th-grade students in September next year, then expand to 10th and 11th graders for the 2028 academic year. Looking ahead, the office of education also shared its vision to become the nationwide joint academic assessment’s leading administrative office by the 2029 academic year.

Superintendent Kim Daejoong emphasized, "Through the regional joint academic assessment, students from Jeonnam and Gwangju will gain one more opportunity for high-quality test simulation, which will greatly help with their preparation for the actual exam. We will meticulously prepare to provide seamless support for university admissions and the CSAT, and to establish a unique education system for the 'K-Education Special City.'"

Meanwhile, before the new system is introduced, the existing format will continue for this year: Gwangju’s "Final Completion Mock Assessment" will be conducted twice in August and October, while Jeonnam’s "J-FINAL CSAT Mock Exam" will be distributed to high schools at the end of October to support students’ practical exam preparation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.