FAQ
- What is the purpose of introducing a new grading scale?
- When will the new grading scale be introduced?
- How many grade levels are proposed?
- What does a dash mean?
- How will the grade levels be translated into numerical values for grades?
- Why do you get more points by raising your grade from F/Fail to the lowest pass grade than if you raise your grade from E to higher levels?
- Will dashes be included when calculating average grades?
- For what grade levels will there be national criteria?
- What about compulsory school, upper secondary school and adult education for students with learning disabilities?
- Are any other changes related to grades on the way?
- The Government has previously stated that there would be grades from year 6. This issue has not been discussed in the Bill. Has the Government changed its mind?
- What does the Government intend to do to make sure that the new grading scale will not be torn if there is a change of power in 2010?
- What happens now?
- How does the Government view implementation and skills development in connection with the introduction of the new grading scale?
What is the purpose of introducing a new grading scale?
Many more pupils can achieve the school system's knowledge goals if requirements are made clear, pupils' knowledge is continuously followed up and evaluated, results are communicated to parents/custodians and support is brought in at an early stage.
The Government has introduced goals in year three and intends to present a Bill on defined goals and knowledge requirements in compulsory schools and equivalent types of school. The Government also intends to present a Bill on a reformed upper secondary school. The Government has also decided that more national examinations will be undertaken so as to improve the follow up of pupils' knowledge. Information to parents and pupils is to be made clearer, using written assessments from year 1 and the new grading scale with more levels. Reducing the interval between grade levels should increase pupils' motivation to make more effort to achieve better results.
In order for pupils to obtain assistance and support at an early stage, the Government has also taken the initiative for a reading-writing-arithmetic programme, for the return of special needs teacher education and large investments in in-service training for teachers.
When will the new grading scale be introduced?
No introduction date is proposed in the Bill for the new grading scale. The Government's ambition is for the new grading scale to be introduced into upper secondary schools and upper secondary adult education in connection with the forthcoming upper secondary reform and the revised curricula that follow from this. It is thought that this will be possible in 2011/2012.
For compulsory school and equivalent types of school, the new grading scale should be introduced at the same time as the new curricula are applied, which is expected to be possible in 2011/2012.
For other types of school, Swedish for Immigrants (sfi) and municipal adult education, the introduction of a new grading scale requires that existing curricula be reviewed and revised.
How many grade levels are proposed?
The Government proposes that the five grade levels of A, B, C, D and E be used for results meriting a pass and that the sixth grade level F denote results that do not merit a pass.
If there is no basis for making an assessment of a pupil's knowledge because of the pupil's absence, no grade is to be given. This is to be indicated by a horizontal dash in the grade records of the school. A dash is thus not a certificate.
The grade of F and a horizontal dash will not be used in schools for children with learning disabilities and adult education for people with learning disabilities.
What does a dash mean?
Grades presuppose that the pupil has attended the lessons or has demonstrated his or her knowledge in a test and that an assessment was possible. The curriculum for compulsory schools, pre-school classes and out-of-school centres (Lpo 94) and the curriculum for voluntary forms of schools (Lpf 94) make it clear that the teacher is to make use of all the information available on the pupil's knowledge, based on the requirements of the curricula, and to make an all-round assessment of this knowledge. If a pupil does not show any knowledge because of extensive absence, however, the teacher is, of course, neither able to make an assessment of this knowledge nor to set a grade. According to the proposal in the Bill, in this case the pupil will not receive a grade, which will be indicated in the grade records by a horizontal dash. A symbol that is completely different from the letter grades of the grading scale will be used to differentiate clearly between having tried to achieve the goals and not having participated at all. There must be no doubt on whether a grade could have been given.
UpHow will the grade levels be translated into numerical values for grades?
The Bill proposes that the numerical value of the grade should be set according to a scale where the grade of E corresponds to 10, D to 12.5, C to 15, B to 17.5 and A to 20 in numerical value. For results not awarded a pass, grade F, the numerical value is 0.
UpWhy do you get more points by raising your grade from F/Fail to the lowest pass grade than if you raise your grade from E to higher levels?
The main purpose of the numerical grade values is to calculate credit points for admission to further studies. This applies both to the transition from compulsory school to upper secondary school and from upper secondary school or upper secondary adult education to higher education. Point calculations using the numerical values of grades are also made in connection with statistical comparisons of study results over time for research purposes and in other comparative studies.
Another purpose is to show that it is important to attain pass results. This is signalled by the fact that both the new grade of E and the current grade of Pass have a numerical value of 10. Since there will be more grade levels that are a pass, more pupils than today should be able to achieve the grade immediately above and feel encouraged to make greater effort. Learning more always pays.
The numerical values in both scales are between 10 and 20, but since the new scale contains five pass grades there are also smaller intervals and therefore finer differences between the grade levels (2.5 points) than between the three pass grades on the present scale (5 points between each level). This makes it possible to achieve finer distinctions and greater precision in the grading scale.
Will dashes be included when calculating average grades?
In the present system the credit value in compulsory school is calculated by adding the grade points for the sixteen best subjects. Since a dash will have a value of 0, it will not add anything to the numerical value of the grades.
In upper secondary school the average grade is calculated on the basis of the numerical value of the final grades. With the new proposal a pupil who has one or more dashes will not receive final grades from upper secondary school. This means there will not be an average numerical grade that contains a dash.
For what grade levels will there be national criteria?
The grading scale will be related to goal-related and national grade criteria will be issued for the highest, middle and lowest grade levels for pass results, i.e. for grade levels A, C and E.
One reason for not formulating national grade criteria for all grade levels is that it is very difficult to design grade criteria in five levels in a way that makes the qualitative differences sufficiently clear. Another is that the two intermediate grades D and B really reflect a knowledge development from E to C and from C to A respectively. The grades D and B are therefore described and assessed using the criteria for the grade below, which all have to be met, and the criteria for the grade above, most of which have to be fulfilled.
With nationally stated criteria for A, C and E, which delimit the intermediate grade levels, teachers will reasonably be able to assess pupils' knowledge, based on their professional skills.
What about compulsory school, upper secondary school and adult education for students with learning disabilities?
In compulsory school, upper secondary school and adult education for individuals with learning disabilities only five pass levels will be used when setting grades. The F grade and the horizontal dash are thus not to be used in these types of school.
UpAre any other changes related to grades on the way?
Different parts of the grading system have been reviewed in connection with various inquiries and are dealt with in separate bills.
The report of the inquiry on clear goals and knowledge requirements in compulsory school proposed a new structure of aims, goals and objectives and clearer knowledge requirements in compulsory school. The Government also intends to present a bill on this. The Government also intends to present a bill on a reformed upper secondary school.
The Government has previously stated that there would be grades from year 6. This issue has not been discussed in the Bill. Has the Government changed its mind?
No, the Government has not changed its mind. There are going to be grades from year 6. But this Bill is about the new grading scale with five pass levels and one fail level.
UpWhat does the Government intend to do to make sure that the new grading scale will not be torn if there is a change of power in 2010?
The main thing the Government intends to do is to work towards winning the mandate to govern the country during the next electoral period. The Government has also been talking to the opposition parties about the new grading scale.
UpWhat happens now?
In this Bill, the Government proposes a new grading scale in the state school system. The Riksdag will now be processing the Government's proposal. A change in the grading scale must, however, be coordinated with the result of other government inquiries that may be of relevance to the application of the new scale, such as the proposals that the Government will present in the forthcoming bill on upper secondary education.
The use of the new grading scale is also conditional on having national grade criteria for three of the five pass grade levels.
The Swedish National Agency for Education should be tasked with reviewing current curricula and grade criteria, and with drawing up criteria for the grade levels of A, C and E in all types of school. The new grading scale should be introduced into the different types of school at the same time as new curricula and new grade criteria begin to be applied in these schools.
How does the Government view implementation and skills development in connection with the introduction of the new grading scale?
It is well known that it takes a long time for new grading scales to become established and for the teachers who will be using them to develop the necessary familiarity with the system. The introduction of the new grading scale will entail a number of measures for implementation and skills development. These measures should be taken after new curricula and the grade criteria associated with them have been drawn up and approved for the different types of school.
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