Monitoring Student Progress in Reading
Since the 2014–2015 school year, primary schools have been required to use a student monitoring system to assess the reading ability of students in Grades 1 to 8.32 The Student Tracking System allows teachers and schools to monitor the development of individual students and entire classes throughout primary education. Although schools are free to choose which student monitoring system they use, most primary schools use the Student Tracking System developed by the National Institute for Educational Measurement (CITO). This system also is used by the Dutch Education Inspectorate to assess the quality of education in each school. Parents usually receive a report detailing their child’s progress three times a year. Because tests are administered on a regular basis, problems usually are identified at an early stage and are subsequently analyzed to devise a remedial action plan.
Students whose progress lags behind that of their classmates may be held back one year. No statutory rules determine when a student should repeat a grade, but grade repetition is avoided to the greatest extent possible.