Teaching Global English in Chinese Middle Schools: The Problematic Assessment System Embedded in the New English Curriculum in Mainland China

This essay focuses on the English curriculum implemented in Chinese middle schools, which is a component of China's overall national reform. According to the English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education report, the new curriculum places a strong emphasis on the intention of teaching global English and the dissemination of Chinese culture in the context of globalization and internationalization. It is regarded as a primary focus and main objective in classroom instruction during the middle school years of study. However, the new curriculum does not reinforce teaching global English in terms of assessment, despite the fact that it places emphasis on teaching global English in its goals. The new curriculum continues to use standardized tests, which imply the existence of standard English, as the summative assessment after students' periods of learning. This essay provided some recommendations which can help to solve the mismatch. Two suggested changes are composed: One is that the diversity of English should be emphasized more in school textbooks, particularly through the use of assessment tasks. Another one is that the examination for entry into high school should include questions about Chinese culture as well as questions about the cultures of other countries.