Education Evaluation

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

The atmosphere in the examination room at SMK Negeri 2 Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Tuesday (17/3/2020)

Nadiem Makarim will replace the national examination with a minimum competency assessment in 2021.

Without an education evaluation design that focuses on the issue, is sustainable, comprehensive and equitable, a policy change will only create confusion and be counterproductive. Three regulations that were born from the hands of Nadiem related to the concept of educational evaluation that needs to be criticized are Education and Culture Ministerial Regulation No. 43/2019 concerning the execution of exams Organized by Education Units and National Examinations, Ministerial Regulation No. 44/2019 concerning entrance of new students to kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school and vocational high school and Ministerial Regulation No. 6/2020 concerning entrance of new students of undergraduate programs at state universities.

The main ideas about education evaluation in the three education minister regulations are the abolition of national standard school exams (USBN), the return of the autonomy of education units to administer examinations, including the freedom and flexibility to use various test modes, changes in the national examination (UN) policy, changes in track and quota of the entrance of new students, and policy changes related to the entrance of new students at state universities. Regarding the minimum competency assessment (AKM), there is no regulatory basis. However, a little idea about AKM has been circulating in cyberspace through Nadiem\'s presentation when explaining the concept of Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn).

Kompas/Priyombodo

Nadiem Makarim,  Minister of Education and Culture.

Critical Notes

There are five critical notes in the policy of education evaluation in the jargon of Merdeka Belajar, which was envisaged by Nadiem. First, Nadiem still focuses on examinations as merely finding grades. This is reinforced through Article 12 Paragraph 3 of Permendikbud No. 43/2019, which even provides a repeat UN opportunity for junior high school students. In fact, in the previous year, the improved national examination (now referred to as repeat UN) was only given to students at the Senior High School and Vocational High School level who had not yet reached the minimum competency standard (SKL) threshold determined by the National Education Standard Agency (BSNP). This article does not encourage the spirit of free learning, but encourages learning to find grades.

Second, the minimum competency assessment (AKM) concept offered by Nadiem has not measured the minimum competency standard (SKL) that is mandated in the National Education System Law Article 58 Paragraph 2 which states, "Evaluation on students, education units, and educational programs is carried out by independent institutions on a regular, thorough, transparent and systemic basis for assessing the achievement of national education standard". The provisions of Article 58 Paragraph 2 are further regulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 13/2015 Article 66 which states to nationally assess the achievement of graduates\' competency, the assessment process is carried out in the form of the UN on certain subjects (Article 66).

The concept of Merdeka Belajar ala Nadiem simply reinforces the role of teachers as the main actor evaluating individual students in the learning process and restores the authority and autonomy of the assessment on the education units that ensure the implementation of the minimum competency standard (SKL) in all subjects so that the education units can determine the graduation of the students. What has not been touched on in Nadiem\'s policy is how to ensure every student at a certain level has reached the specified SKL, and the process of measuring and evaluating is carried out by an independent institution so that the results are objective, fair, and accountable.

The minimum competency assessment can only be used as the basis for school report cards in the domain of literacy and numeracy competencies.

The minimum competency assessment cannot precisely replace the UN whose function is to nationally assess the achievement of national education standards (especially SKL) per student at a certain level of education and is carried out by independent institutions so that the results are objective, transparent, and fair. It turns out that minimum competency assessment will only assess the minimum quality of literacy and numeracy abilities of education units in Indonesia in certain classes. Population taking for measurement is not carried out for the entire population, but only based on a few samples of students, so the results of the minimum competency assessment cannot be used to assess the achievement of individual SKL nationally. The minimum competency assessment can only be used as the basis for school report cards in the domain of literacy and numeracy competencies.

Report card grades, which are determined by the education units, although they can represent assessments per individual student per subject at certain stages nationally, can also be translated as a measurement tool for minimum competency standard (SKL). However, this assessment still cannot be used as a tool to control the quality of national education because the school report card grades are easily manipulated and not objective. It can only be used as an internal quality guarantee tool for education units, not external, by autonomous and independent institutions as mandated by the National Education System Law. The potential subjectivity in filling out report cards can very possibly happen.

The minimum competency assessment and report card grades are clearly insufficient to be claimed as the implementation of the mandate of the Article 58 Paragraph 2 of the National Education System Law.

Nadiem forgets that the mandate in Article 58 Paragraph 2 of the National Education System Law is not only a mandate to measure and evaluate education units and educational programs, but also to measure and assess the achievement of national education standards in the learners nationally by independent institutions. The minimum competency assessment and report card grades are clearly insufficient to be claimed as the implementation of the mandate of the Article 58 Paragraph 2 of the National Education System Law.

Third, Nadiem\'s policy does not focus on the main root of the problem of educational assessment, namely an assessment system that fails to encourage the progress of objectivity and authenticity of learning outcomes. As a result, our assessment system at the level of educators and education units is simply a trick. The deception of learning outcome evaluation starts from the policy on minimum completeness criteria (KKM). The concept of KKM, which was initially aimed to assess students\' learning progress gradually, which if not good would be assisted through the remedial process, in practice turns into a minimum value in the report cards. As a result, even the laziest students in the report cards will get the minimum KKM grade set by the schools. This condition destroys the authenticity, demoralizes the teachers, eliminates the uniqueness of individual potential, and gives birth to lazy individual learners.

As long as the achievement path in Entrance of New Students (PPDB) prioritizes achievement (this year the achievement path quota has been increased to 30 percent), minimum completeness criteria (KKM) manipulation will not be able to be avoided.

The KKM policy that does not produce authentic learning culture remains fertile because of the fourth problem, namely the fact that the Nadiem’s policy is not comprehensive and sustainable. I do not see how the education assessment system starts from the assessment by educators, education units, and government related to each other with the education process from one level to the next, from elementary education to higher education, so that this system returns the passion of learning and fosters authentic learning. As long as the achievement path in Entrance of New Students (PPDB) prioritizes achievement (this year the achievement path quota has been increased to 30 percent), minimum completeness criteria (KKM) manipulation will not be able to be avoided.

As long as the percentage of the invitation path for the selection of state universities is still high (this year the policy remains 20 percent), schools will like to manipulate the KKM and report cards so that their students pass the path without testing to state universities. If Nadiem wants our state university quality to be superior and able to compete, state university selection must select the best student candidates objectively. This selection will be more objective if it is done through the entrance test for state universities (SBMPTN). Eliminate the invitation path, or at least reduce the quota to 5 percent. Reduce the independent path to 10 percent.

Give an 85 percent quota for children throughout Indonesia to compete fairly and objectively through the written channel. In this way, the manipulation of the report card grades for the invitation path will be reduced. A report card as good as anything, if the owner doesn\'t pass the written test, will be meaningless. With this system, the education units will only focus on improving the quality of learning. This approach is more complete, comprehensive, sustainable, and can strengthen the competitiveness of state universities in the future.

School elitism will re-occur. Meanwhile, the enlarged selection through the independent path to the state universities will only exclude children from economically weak families from accessing universities.

Fifth, the entrance of new students (PPDB) policy and selection to enter state universities do not yet reflect social justice. Nadiem changes PPDB\'s achievement pathway to 30 percent and reduces the zoning pathway to 50 percent, while only giving affirmation to children from poor families by 15 percent. School elitism will re-occur. Meanwhile, the enlarged selection through the independent path to the state universities will only exclude children from economically weak families from accessing universities.

Even more unfair is that students, who will take the entrance test for state universities (SBMPTN) through a computer-based written test (UTBK) held by the Institution of University Entrance Exams (LTMPT), must pay. Not all Indonesian families can afford to pay around Rp 200,000 just to join UTBK. The government, because it has eliminated the UN, should free the UTBK test fees for all Indonesian children. If they fail, and want to repeat, please pay by themselves. This policy will help increase the university\'s coarse participation rate which is still low.

President Jokowi should have escorted the Merdeka Belajar jargon that was initiated by Nadiem. The state should be present and seriously improve the quality of education through education evaluation policies that foster a culture of authentic learning, focus on the issues, be sustainable, be fair, and comply with the mandate of the law. Unfortunately, these important matters are not reflected in the Merdeka Belajar policy.

Doni Koesoema A, Lecturer at Multimedia Nusantara University, Serpong