A numerical scale is a step in the right direction

Viðskiptaráð has reviewed the aforementioned plans. The plans entail defining a numerical scale instead of a letter scale and that the numerical scale be used as the basis for final grades in compulsory school. It is envisaged that all final grades will be presented in numbers and that the use of a numerical scale will be mandatory at the end of the 4th, 7th and 10th grades. According to the plans, the change is intended to make assessment clearer and more easily understandable for pupils and parents.

Viðskiptaráð welcomes the plans of the Minister of Education and Children's Affairs to increase the clarity of assessment in compulsory schools by moving the presentation of final grades from letters to numbers. Clear and easily understandable assessment is important for pupils, parents, schools and others who use information about academic performance. The results of a recent survey show that 88% of the public are in favour of grades being given in numbers rather than letters.

The Council considers it important, however, that the discussion of assessment should not focus solely on the presentation of grades but also on whether grades and assessment criteria are comparable between schools. There has been a significant lack of comparable data after standardised examinations were abolished without a comparable system being introduced in their place. Whether a grade is presented as a letter or a number has limited value if it is not ensured that the same grade reflects comparable ability regardless of the school in which it is awarded.

The aim of the changes should therefore first and foremost be to strengthen the reliability and comparability of assessment in compulsory schools. To this end, it is necessary to ensure clear and standardised assessment criteria and that reliable means are available to verify that grades are comparable between schools. This is a prerequisite for pupils, parents, upper secondary schools and the authorities to be able to trust the information that the assessment provides.

Comparable assessment is not only suited to improving the provision of information to pupils and parents but is also a basis for improvements in the education system. Comparable data are thus a prerequisite for being able to identify strengths and challenges in the school system and for supporting targeted measures to improve performance.

The results of Viðskiptaráð's analysis of recent data from the Ministry of Education and Children's Affairs indicate that there is little correlation between pupils' final grades at the end of compulsory school and their performance in upper secondary school. This means that grades from compulsory school do not reflect the same ability between schools. When such non-comparable grades are then used to allocate limited places in sought-after upper secondary schools, an obvious inequality arises.

Comparable assessment has a long history in this country. In 1946, the national middle school examination was introduced as a standardised examination for the whole country, and it played a key role in admission to upper secondary school right up until 1976. Following this, standardised examinations took over and were for a long time a key measure of the position of pupils and schools. With changes in 2009, however, it was decided that the results of standardised examinations would no longer carry weight at the end of compulsory school nor could they be used as a basis for admission to upper secondary school. With this, standardised assessment as a realistic and comparable measure of pupils' academic performance between schools was in effect abandoned.

Viðskiptaráð therefore urges the Minister to undertake further improvements that ensure children receive fair assessment and the same opportunities. To this end, standardised assessment at the end of compulsory schooling is needed, along with better data on pupils' progress between school levels and more targeted support where the need is greatest.

In view of the above, Viðskiptaráð is in favour of the Minister's plans to make assessment clearer and more easily understandable. The Council emphasises that a change in the presentation of grades should be part of a larger transformation aimed at ensuring that grades and assessment criteria are comparable between schools and that reliable means are in place to verify such a comparison.

This article was automatically translated from the Icelandic original.