Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science
Prior to the start of primary school, a school readiness assessment is administered to screen and diagnose students with special needs, and to determine whether students are ready to start first grade or need to be directed into a program for students with special needs.9
Student evaluation up to sixth grade involves continual formative assessment, including observation of students’ in-class activities, in-class oral or written examinations, and homework. Schools issue descriptive report cards for each individual student in October and June. Students who do not qualify for promotion to the next grade in at least three subjects must participate in compensatory sessions and complete further enrichment activities by the following September.
At the end of Grade 6, students take a regional examination developed by the Office for Assessment in the Ministry of Education in each province. Students who pass the examination receive an elementary school leaving certificate, while students who fail have the opportunity to retake the examination in September. Students who fail a second time have the opportunity to retake the examination the following year. The grading system at this stage uses points earned through continual assessment and criterion-referenced written and oral examinations. Ten points (out of 20) are required for promotion.
The system of promotion in lower secondary school is similar to the system in the primary school, but it is not descriptive. Students in lower secondary school are graded on a point system (out of 20) in each subject of study and are issued report cards. At the end of upper secondary education, students who pass a national final examination receive a high school diploma.
High school graduates who want to go on to further education take a university entrance examination, administered by the National Organization for Educational Testing.