Poland

Monitoring Student Progress in Reading

Teachers of students in Grades 1 to 3 are required by law to assess every student’s achievement twice a year. The assessment used is descriptive and specifies students’ academic and social achievements and their strengths and weaknesses; the use of marks is not permitted by law. During the academic year, teachers collect information on students’ achievement in the form that they find appropriate (e.g., conventional marks or other symbols devised by the teacher, short comments, students’ portfolios). Students in Grades 1 to 3 do not take national examinations; rather, commercial achievement tests available on the educational market compete for teachers’ attention. These tests usually consist of a few tasks that assess students’ understanding of short, informative texts. In 2011, teachers of Grade 3 were offered a Polish test (including reading) and a mathematics test that they could administer to their students. Developed by the Central Examination Board to calculate added value in primary school, the tests were adopted by three-fourths of schools in Poland.

Starting in Grade 4, teachers assess student achievement based on a grading scale of 1 to 6. School grades and assessment criteria should be made available to students and their parents. Students take their first external examination in the final grade of primary school (Grade 6). This examination comprises two paper-based standardized tests, one of which covers Polish language and mathematics and the other modern foreign language. Students’ performance on the examination has no bearing on their selection by or placement in higher learning institutions.