would reappraise the educational goals and objectives for the elementary-middle [E-M, ed.] schools. It would develop definitions of desired learning outcomes at the various levels and then design and build the instructional programs to achieve these outcomes.... Estimates were that it would take approximately four to five years to build and test the new system. The cost of development and installation on a national scale was estimated to be approximately $17,000,000. …During the last quarter of 1971 the KEDI staff focused on two major activities. These
were: (1) an intensive series of meetings with Korean educators on the E-M project, and (2) the writing of the International Loan Agreement. The first of these activities was essential to broaden the base of support and to respond to questions or criticisms and to secure the cooperation of educators throughout the nation.... …KEDI was the beginning of a competency-based program of student learning. …In the several tryouts since 1973—four small scale and four large scale—the
achievement levels have generally been higher for the demonstration students than for the comparison group. …In 1978, the President of the Republic appointed an external commission to conduct
an independent evaluation of the new E-M program. This group assessed student and teacher attitudes toward the new program as well as community reaction. They also selected 18 schools and directed that the new KEDI system be implemented in these schools for five months in six basic subject areas, and identified a group of traditional schools to serve as the control. They found that mean achievement across all subject areas was 24 percent higher in the experimental group than in the control group, and that 30 percent more of the experimental students achieved subject mastery. The commission recommended an orderly implementation of the new E-M program in all of Korea’s schools. [all emphases in original]
[Ed. Note: There is no way a valid determination can be made on the basis of instruction over a five-month period. Was the experimental group taught to the test as in OBE/ML/DI? Has the education ministry followed these students to see if their superior achievement has held over time? One would have to look at longitudinal data as well as the examinations used to come to any sort of valid conclusion regarding the superiority of OBE over the traditional Korean form of education. Also, what kinds of results were they looking for—academic or occupational?]