Pupil Assessment

Pupil assessment is prescribed by the Law on Primary Education and the Rulebook on the manner of assessment of primary school pupils.

Pupils’ knowledge and achievements are graded by awarding a descriptive and numerical mark, in accordance with the standards established by the educational programme:

• In the first cycle, knowledge and achievement of pupils are graded descriptively at three levels: partly achieved, mostly achieved and fully achieved; at the end of the third grade, the performance of pupils is expressed by both descriptive and numerical mark.
• Pupil assessment in the second and third cycles is numerical; Numerical marks are on the scale from 1 to 5: excellent (5), very good (4), good (3), sufficient (2) and insufficient (1).

Pupil assessment is public and is done in front of pupils. During the classification period, pupils must be assessed in each subject, except for the first-graders in the first classification period.

School is obliged to inform parents in writing about the performance of pupil at the end of each classification period, with explanation on the achievement of the pupil and his/her progress. At the end of each school year pupils receive certificate of performance.

A pupil has completed a grade if he/she has received positive marks for all subjects.

A pupil has completed 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade if there are no insufficient marks at the end of the school year. The overall performance is determined by a class council on the basis of average mark from all subjects, as follows:

• a pupil has completed a grade with excellent overall score, if he/she has achieved an average mark of at least 4.50;
• with very good overall score, if he/she has achieved an average mark of at least 3.50;
• with good overall score, if he/she has achieved an average mark of at least 2.50;
• with sufficient overall score, if he/she has achieved an average mark of at least 2.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has created a web portal for parents which allows parents to monitor the performance, absences and conduct of their child. To register on the portal, parents receive a username and password from the class teacher, and by entering them they can access information about their child that had been recorded in MEIS (Montenegrin Education Information System Montenegro) application. Only information relevant to their child is available to the parent accessing the portal. The portal provides an overview of all marks for each subject (oral examination, written examination and tests, final mark, etc.). For each teaching subject there is also a chronological overview of marks as well as the average mark. For children with special educational needs, the Individual Program prescribes forms of educational work for educational areas, ie subjects, the manner of performing additional professional assistance, mobility between programs, adjustment in the organization, standards of knowledge, achievements and skills, scope of technical support, the manner of checking and evaluating educational and developmental achievements and progress in accordance with their individual capabilities.

Progression of Pupils

• Pupils of the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grades continue to the following grade if there are no insufficient marks at the end of the school year.
• Pupils of the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th gradescannot repeat a grade. Exceptionally, a pupil can repeat the grade if he/she has not adopted the teaching material to the extent that he/she can continue education. The decision on repeating the grade is made by class teacher, i.e. class council, following the opinion of the professional service of the school and the parents.

A pupil of the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade, who has one, two or three insufficient marks at the end of the school year, takes the make-up exam. In case they have four or more insufficient marks or do not pass the make-up exam, they repeat the grade.

If a pupil turns 15 in the ongoing school year, and has insufficient marks at the end of the school year, he/she has the right to take the grade exam in the following school year from the subjects from which he/she had insufficient marks.

A pupil who has not been assessed at the end of the school year from one, several or all subjects, due to illness or other justified reasons, may take grade exam in those subjects.

• Extremely diligent and capable pupils of the 2^nd and 3^rd cycles of school for primary art education may also complete the subsequent grade during the school year and may use this right only once in primary education.
• A pupil gifted for art may be enrolled in the 1^st grade of the secondary art school after completing the 7^th grade of the primary school, according to the decision of the teaching council. The pupil then completes primary school by taking grade exams.

Taking make-up exams and grade exams is prescribed by the Rulebook on the manner and procedure for taking make-up exams in primary school and the Rulebook on the manner and procedure for taking the grade exams in primary school.

Certification

A school that carries out publicly valid programmes keeps a uniform pedagogical records on the basis of which public credentials are issued.

A certificate of performance is a public credential that pupils receive at the end of each grade.

The Rulebook on the form and manner of keeping pedagogical records and the content of public credentials at schools defines the form and the content of the certificate and other pedagogical documents that schools must keep.

A primary school pupil who has achieved over the period his/her education excellent performance in all subjects graded with numerical marks, is awarded “Luča” diploma. This diploma can also be awarded to a pupil who has received minimum very good mark in one subject. Besides these conditions, the pupil must complete school within the prescribed period and have good conduct during schooling.