Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science
Students are assessed continually in individual subjects, as well as at the end of every term, and are given a school report, which includes an assessment of learning in every course, of behavior, and of overall outcomes. This school report is issued at the end of every term, although for the first term students may receive an extract from the school report instead of the full report. Teachers record assessment results and evaluations in the school report. They assess students based on oral and written work, as well as homework. Teachers create their own tests to measure achievement. Student assessment results are reported by written marks, verbally, or by a combination of both.17
The guidelines for assessment are established by individual schools in a school code. Written marks are based on a grading scale of 1 to 5, with a score of 1 being excellent and a score of 5 being unsatisfactory. Students who pass all compulsory subjects are promoted to the next grade, while students who do not pass all compulsory subjects repeat the grade. Students may repeat only one grade at the primary level and one at the lower secondary level.
It is not compulsory for schools to administer standardized tests; however, most schools administer some type of commercial test. Students at the primary and lower secondary levels do not take any regular national or regional examinations. Since the 2011–2012 school year, the Czech School Inspectorate, an agency for the independent evaluation of schools (in accordance with ISCED 5B), has been using a system of computer-based student assessment for its own purposes. The system enables sample and also national testing across subjects and grades. The Czech School Inspectorate conducts the testing every year. The most recent testing in 2015 (a sample survey) was focused on the performance of Grade 9 students in biology, chemistry, physics, geography, history, and civics.