Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science
When the Law of Public Education (1991) came into force, the need for a national assessment of the education system was identified as a priority in Bulgaria. Tasked with the development of national assessment standards, the Ministry of Education created the Center for Control and Assessment of the Quality of School Education (CCAQSE), the official national testing agency. In 2010, the European Social Fund sponsored CCAQSE to administer a project called The Development of a System for the Evaluation of the Quality of General Education. This project included a development of strategy for the internal and external evaluation of the educational process, as well as guiding principles of assessment.
Assessment throughout the system of education is carried out both internally and externally. While internal assessments are carried out by teachers, external assessments are carried out locally by school principals, regionally by Regional Inspectorates of Education, and nationally by the Ministry of Education. The Regulations of the System of Evaluation, in addition to school curricula, stipulate the types of assessment for every subject. Assessments may include oral examinations, written examinations, and practical examinations.
Examinations may be administered to individual students, groups of students, or an entire class, and are designed to test academic subject knowledge. The required number of examinations depends on the number of hours spent studying a particular subject. For a subject studied only one hour per week or every two weeks, there is an annual grade but no term grade.
Over the last few years, standardized national tests have become the leading form of external assessment. The results of these tests provide policy makers with indicators regarding the state of the education system as a whole. Student achievement is evaluated according to the objectives outlined in the curriculum for each grade and subject.
At the beginning of Grade 1, students are evaluated to determine their level of readiness for school. These results help teachers differentiate students’ individual needs. An assessment at the end of Grade 1 is carried out using qualitative indicators only.
In Grades 2 to 12, student knowledge and skills are evaluated on a six-grade scale based on both qualitative and quantitative indicators: Excellent (6), Very Good (5), Good (4), Fair (3), and Poor (2). The students complete their grade level if their annual grades average Fair (3) or higher. Term and annual grades reflect students’ academic performance throughout the year. Upon completing Grade 4, students receive a certificate of completed primary education. Upon completing Grade 8, students receive a certificate of completed basic education.
In primary school (Grades 2 to 4), students who receive a grade of Poor (2) in a subject for the year still progress to the next grade level, where teachers will work with them individually. In Grades 5 to 12, students who receive a grade of Poor (2) are required to pass a correction examination. If they fail the examination, they will have to repeat the grade level.
The Ministry of Education has launched a program financing additional school hours for talented students as well as students lagging behind, aimed at encouraging all students to take an active role in education.
In the 2006–2007 school year, national assessments were introduced in four subjects (Bulgarian Language and Literature, Mathematics, Man and Nature, and Man and Society) in Grade 4 for all students in public and private schools to assess student achievement according to the National Education Content Standards.
The Ministry of Education also conducts a national assessment at Grade 7 in the core subject areas of Bulgarian Language and Literature, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Ecology, Social Studies, Civic Education and Religion, and Foreign Languages. The national examinations in Bulgarian Language and Literature and Mathematics include optional additional modules, which serve as admission examinations for enrollment in specialized secondary schools upon completion of Grade 7.
In the 2007–2008 school year, national matriculation examinations were introduced as a requirement for receiving a secondary education diploma. The matriculation examinations comprise one examination in Bulgarian Language and Literature, and another selected from among eight subjects—Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Philosophy, and Foreign Languages. In addition to conducting their own entrance examinations, some colleges and universities offer admission based on national matriculation examination results.
Students who wish to continue their education at an institute of higher education are required to pass the two compulsory matriculation examinations in order to receive a diploma of completed secondary education. Students who do not pass the compulsory examinations still receive a certificate for having completed secondary education, and can choose to sit for the matriculation examinations any time thereafter.