Pupil/Students assessment
Procedure for assessing pupils' achievements and progress
Assessment of pupils' learning achievements and progress is part of the school curriculum. It must be consistent with the educational objectives. The school, in accordance with the legislation and school agreements, develops its own Description of the procedure for assessing the achievements and progress of the school pupils. The principal approves it and publishes it on the school's website.
According to the Description of Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Edcuation Curriculum approved by the Minister for Education, Science and Sport, the school decides on:
- Methods and tools used to assess or/and evaluate pupils’ achievements and progress. The school decides whether it will use: marks (ten-point evaluation system), comments, cumulative points, folder (e-portfolio, e-folder), descriptions of learning achievements, pupil’s characteristics, pupil’s success stories, (self-) assessment, descriptive evaluation, etc.
- Evaluation methods for studying subjects, chosen subjects, subjects modules. For example, if a student in an upper secondary education programme intends to choose a degree in sport, it is suggested that the learning achievement in physical education be evaluated using marks and not a record.
- Conversion of assessment to a ten-point system. If a teacher is not using a ten-point system to evaluate pupils’ achievements, the school establishes the time by which the assessment must be converted to a ten-point system. It is not necessary to convert achievements if the pupil is evaluated by “credited”/“not credited”.
- Ensuring consistency between forms of student achievement and progress assessment.
Types of assessment
General education programmes are the main guide for all parts of the evaluation – planning, teaching, recording and discussing assessment information, adjusting education. The school combines formative, diagnostic and summative evaluation in its educational process.
Formative evaluation. Its purpose is to help the pupil to learn, provide and receive feedback, monitor progress, and provide timely assistance. For this, the school puts in place an individual tracking system for each pupil and uses available data, such as the national pupils’ achievement testing (more information on national pupils' achievement testing is presented at the end of this chapter) and other already created tracking tools or creates and applies its own testing system.
The purpose of tracking the progress of each pupil is to monitor whether the level of competences acquired by the pupil is optimal. Does it correspond to the objectives pursued by him/her and his/her individual powers, aspirations and experiences? Is the pupil continuously and consistently learning new and more complex things, acquiring new skills, and strengthening his/her values? At the same time, the school is looking for ways to promote each pupil’s self-esteem, perseverance, evaluation and improvement of their activity/learning. The pupil, pupil’s parents (guardians, caregivers), teachers and other education specialists all participate in the assessment of each pupil’s progress. This assessment information is taken into account to adjust each pupil’s individual learning pathway.
Diagnostic evaluation. The diagnostic evaluation determines the pupil's achievements and progress in order to plan the further learning purposefully and provide learning aids to overcome any difficulties. The diagnostic assessment of pupil achievements at school is carried out on a regular basis. It corresponds with the training logic, clear evaluation criteria, and school agreements. During the diagnostic evaluation, the school agrees on how to assess pupil achievements (this can be recorded, for example, by grades, accumulating points, etc.). The information obtained is used to analyse each pupil’s progress and needs by raising further learning and teaching objectives.
Summative evaluation. Pupils’ achievements are formally summed up and evaluated with marks in a ten-point system or by “credited”, “not credited” or “exempt” at the end of the education period. The record “exempt” is recorded if it has not been possible to assess the pupil due their non-attendance at school on the advice of a doctor and is confirmed by an order of the school principal. At the end of the education period (for example, the trimester, the semester), the subject teacher summarises and captures the pupil’s achievement/results. The evaluation criteria for assessing a pupil’s achievement should be linked to evaluation descriptions described in the general education programmes for a particular subject. They must be known to the learner.
The school sets an adaptation period for pupils who start learning according to the first and second parts of the lower secondary education programme or for newly arrived pupils. It is recommended that pupils’ achievements and progress not be assessed during the adaptation period.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory assessment. Scores from 4 to 10, as well as the terms “credited” and “progress made” are considered to be a satisfactory assessment. Meanwhile, scores from 1 to 3, “not credited” and “progress not made” indicate unsatisfactory developments.
National pupils’ achievement testing. The system of national pupils’ achievement testing (NMPP) was launched in 2014. Since then, nationally standardised tests and unified criteria allow the achievements of Lithuanian pupils to be assessed. The information obtained from the NMPP is used in the decision-making process: it helps to choose ways to improve teaching and learning for the pupil, teacher, class, school, local and national levels.
Every spring the 6th and 8th grades participate in the national pupils’ achievement testing and take the same tests:
- 6th grade – literacy, writing, math;
- 8th grade – literacy, writing, math, natural and social sciences.
Reacting to COVID19 pandemic, in 2021 only 8th grade pupils participated in NMPP and took literacy and math tests.
The institution, holding the status of the school’s founder, decides whether the school should participate in the NMPP. This institution can transfer the right of decision to the school principal. If the school decides to take part in the NMPP, all its pupils must participate.
The municipality and school can decide to use pupil questionnaires in addition to NMPP tests in order to broaden the evaluation of the education quality in that school. The results of these questionnaires are used to calculate such indicators as the school’s emotional climate, bullying situation at the school, how pupils feel at school, pupil’s ability to learn, added value created by the school, etc. This allows a more comprehensive school evaluation. More attention is paid not only to the academic achievement, but also to pupils’ feelings, the school’s emotional climate. This helps to better assess the school's contribution to pupils‘ achievements, taking into account the context of the school. The school must inform parents (guardians, caregivers) about this extended evaluation and get the consent that their child can participate in this evaluation. Parents (guardians, caregivers) can refuse to allow their child to complete the pupil questionnaire. In this case it would be more difficult for a school (municipality) to accurately and objectively assess such important school performance indicators as the added value of the school, how pupils feel at school and the rate of bullying at school.
It is important to notice that NMPP tests results are solely for the pupil, his/her parents (guardians, caregivers) and teacher. It is not a conclusion about the pupil’s acquired education. Therefore, the National Agency for Education strongly recommends that the tests not be evaluated by a mark system. However, the school decides whether to write marks or not. If a mark is written, then it is equal to the mark of a regular test. The results of the NMPP do not influence the promotion of a pupil to the next grade.
Participants in assessment
Learning achievements are evaluated by teachers, education providers, school founders, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and its authorised institutions.
Teachers plan and assess their pupils’ progress and learning achievements. They sum up and evaluate each pupil’s academic attainment. They record the assessment results in the manner established by the school; provide information about performance, achievements and gaps in their knowledge to the pupils, their parents (guardians, caregivers), other teachers and the school administration; analyse and adjust pupils’ teaching and learning. And, finally, teachers ensure that pupils experiencing learning difficulties are provided with timely assistance.
The school determines the general procedure for collecting, recording and using information about pupil assessment. It ensures consistent application of assessment methods in the progression of a pupil from one class to another or from a lower stage of education to a higher one and among parallel classes or separate subjects. The school also coordinates the scope and frequency of tests. It provides assistance to pupils experiencing learning difficulties. And last but not least, it evaluates the quality of work performed by individual teachers and the school by pupils’ attainment.
The education department of the school founder administration analyses the information about pupil assessments that it receives from schools and uses it for decision-making. It also takes the social and cultural context into account when making judgements about the efficiency of the school activities. It ensures that the procedure for external assessment of pupils’ attainment should be agreed with the school and its teachers. And, finally, it creates conditions for teachers’ professional development.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport approves documents regulating the general content of formal education and pupil assessment. It determines the pupil assessment procedure at the time when the pupil completes the lower secondary education programmes. It also ensures timely analysis of pupil assessment results and their presentation to the pedagogical community and the general public and also the efficient use of that information.
Progression of pupils/students
Promotion of pupils to a higher grade is established in the Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education Programmes approved by the Minister for Education, Science and Sport.
Pupils in grades 5–9 (and 1st gymnasium class) who receive satisfactory year-end scores in all compulsory subjects can progress to the next grade. A pupil who is following an individualised lower secondary education programme or social skills development programme can be transferred to the next grade by stating his/ her annual results.
If a pupil receives an unsatisfactory year-end assessment, does not carry out social civic activity, receives an unsatisfactory score for additional assignment, his/her teachers and other staff who participate in the pupil’s education, decide whether to transfer the pupil to the next grade. The teachers’ so-called council can give an additional assignment to the pupil, a pupil can be transferred to the next grade or left to repeat the curriculum. The school principal takes the final decision, taking the teachers’ suggestions into account.
A pupil in grade 10 (and 2nd gymnasium class) is considered to have completed his/her lower secondary education programme if:
he/she has satisfactory achievement in year-end assessments in all subjects that he/she was required to study, and
carried out social civic activity.
A pupil is considered to have attained a lower secondary education and a right to learn in the next grade if he/she fulfils the above-mentioned requirements and has passed the assessment of lower secondary education achievements. The achievements in Lithuanian (as a Mother tongue or state language) and Math are compulsory examinations and achievements in Mother tongue (Belarusian, Polish, German, Russian) are examined if the pupil so chooses.
If a pupil who has satisfactory year-end assessments in all subjects and has carried out social civic activity does not participate in the assessment of lower secondary education achievements without justification, they may not repeat the final year curriculum. This pupil is considered to have completed the lower secondary education programme but not to have obtained lower secondary education. Such pupil can participate in the assessment of lower secondary education the following year or later and then attain lower secondary education.
A graduate student in a lower secondary education programme with an unsatisfactory annual evaluation of at least one subject must repeat the last school year. By the education forms set by the Minister for Education, Science and Sport, he/she does not have to repeat all the subjects but only those individual subjects whose annual evaluation is unsatisfactory.
If a pupil repeats the whole year of the curriculum, his/her annual assessments of that grade (school year) are not valid.
Certification
The certificate of lower secondary education is issued to a pupil who has acquired lower secondary education.
The year-end marks/grades in each subject from the second part of the lower secondary education programme, social civic activity, as well as other annual assessments and the results of assessment of lower secondary education achievements are entered on the certificate.
Pupils who have not completed the lower secondary education programme receive a certificate of learning achievements. This certificate includes the subjects that were taught, the satisfactory and unsatisfactory annual evaluations, the number of hours spent on the subject in the class according to the curriculum (for graduating from the second part of lower secondary education in 2007 and after), evaluations of the assessment of lower secondary education achievements, social civic activities.
Pupils in grade 10 with unsatisfactory year-end assessments, those who have completed a special lower secondary education program or followed adapted curricula receive a certificate of a specific form.