> SKA conducted for applicants at Korea National University of Arts, Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines.
> Online assessment conducted to overcome the constraints of group assessment.

KSIF (President Lee Haiyoung, hereinafter Foundation) conducted the ‘Sejong Korean Language Assessment (SKA)’ online July 20th and 30th in conjunction with the Korea National University of Arts AMA+ Scholarship Project and the Korean Language Teacher Education Program at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines.

The SKA is an assessment method that was designed to measure the practical Korean communication skills necessary for daily life and Korean-related tasks for users whose first language is not Korean, including KSI learners. It was developed in accordance with the 「Korean Standard Curriculum」 of the National Institute of Korean Language, and the Foundation offers three methods of taking the exam, taking into account the various exam-taking environments of Korean learners around the world.

With non-face-to-face online assessment (iBT), test takers can access the system and take the assessment individually, allowing anyone with internet access to take part in the assessment, unlike the traditional group assessment that had spatial constraints. Supervisors monitored the assessment in real time for improved fairness, and the overseas network-linked cloud service enhanced the stability of the assessment.

On July 20th, the Foundation conducted the SKA to assess the Korean language proficiency of 56 test takers from 23 countries, all applicants for the Korea National University of Arts AMA+ Scholarship Project. This was the second year in a row that the SKA was used in the selection process for the Korea National University of Arts AMA+ Scholarship students. The Assessment will continue to be used in screening international students, in accordance with the business agreement signed between KSIF and Korea National University of Arts on September 24th of last year. The SKA was conducted for 101 test takers on July 30th in connection with the Local Korean Language Teacher Education Program at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines. Test takers who completed the program will be teaching Korean in national/public middle and high schools that selected Korean as their second language.

“SKA is a forward-looking linguistic assessment method that integrates cutting edge IT technology. We hope to gradually expand its application so that SKA scores may be accepted as a qualification for a variety of purposes, including in one’s job searching and studies,” said KSIF President Lee Haiyoung.