Methods for assessing students' knowledge vary from country to country. Some education systems use numeric marks, including fractional marks, while others use a letter grading system, and some use a numerically interpreted letter system. However, the most important thing is what consequences the chosen assessment method has for children.
Over the past few countries, Asia leads the list that evaluates students' educational achievements. For example, Singapore is located on the second line in 2018. In Singapore, since 1997, a set of measures has been used to reduce the importance of tests and marks in primary and secondary schools. The purpose of these transformations is to reduce the stress associated with competition in the educational process for students. Singapore has the youngest educational system in the world, and its approach to assessment is different from other countries: this approach focuses on the development of students' abilities and is focused on the learning process, not just on the results of exams and assessments.
Singapore
In Singapore, according to one parent, teachers do not grade or rank students until they are in seventh grade. Instead, during the school semester, the student needs to do all the work and projects that the teachers will comment on, but they will not put a mark. Instead of grades, teachers use a formative approach and either praise the student for productivity and thirst for knowledge, or focus on subjects that need more attention.
Tests in the form of testing are carried out at the end of each quarter on a 100% scale. To pass the test, it is enough to score 51%. If the student is unprepared in the lesson, he is given the opportunity to complete all the tasks after school.
A distinctive feature of the education system in Singapore is the absence of general parent meetings, instead each family is invited to an individual meeting where the child's results are discussed. Thus, no one knows who is an excellent student and who is getting bad grades in class.
Switzerland
The Swiss education system in the canton of Zurich is based on a six-point grading system, where even fractional grades can be assigned to students - for example, 4.6 or 5.4. Preschool education is carried out without grades, and starting from the second grade, students already receive grades.
At the end of the first school year, children are reassigned to different classes depending on their academic performance. Children who showed excellent results are enrolled in group "A", satisfactory - in "B", and those who often did not cope with the work fell into group "C". Every parent strives for their child to get into group "A", as this will facilitate further education in secondary school. As a consequence, there are strong and middle classes in the school. If a student wants to go to be in group "A", he needs to prove a high level of knowledge.
In Switzerland, there are 4 official languages, so much attention is paid to their study. Good language proficiency is an important factor when entering school, when transferring from primary to secondary school and beyond.
France
The French grading system uses a twenty-point system. In elementary school, the maximum grade is usually 10 points. Many students receive grades between 15 and 18 points, which corresponds to the level of "good" and "excellent". If the teacher gives more than 10 points, then it is considered that the child received a positive assessment. If the student receives a grade of 9.5, then this means that he needs to repeat the material being studied. A score of 12 can be compared to our top three, and 12.5 is already closer to the "good" level.
Some people may think that this grading system is reminiscent of the grades of figure skaters during the Olympic Games, but in fact it makes it possible to evaluate students more objectively. If only twos, threes, fours and fives are available to the teacher, then there is a chance to underestimate the success of the strong and overestimate the results of the weak. In the French system, this is solved by the use of fractional assessments, which allow you to evaluate the student's progress with greater accuracy.
Finland
The Finnish education system has many features that attract the attention of parents and teachers from other countries. For example, in elementary school (from the 1st to the 6th grade), grades are not given, instead they use checkboxes and points for tests and tests that do not affect anything. There are no diaries either, which prevents fear of parent-teacher meetings and punishments for low grades.
Each teacher in Finland schedules individual meetings with parents and tells them for 15-20 minutes what their children's academic progress is, answers their questions. This allows the teacher to understand the needs of each child more deeply and tune in to them individually.
In high school, grades are not voiced in front of the whole class: the child receives an inverted proven work with an assessment, only he himself knows his mark. This contributes to the fact that the child learns from the first years of study to analyze his successes and achievements, which is very important for the development of his self-esteem.
It is especially interesting that in Finnish schools there are no grades for physical abilities! This allows students to develop their physical abilities without stress and comparisons. The development of the ability to evaluate one's achievements is an important component in the Finnish education system.
