Educators and parents criticize new grading scale rollout

Nearly all of 63 submissions on a proposed grading scale for 10th-grade students raised concerns, with respondents saying the changes may not deliver greater consistency or fairness. Morgunblaðið reported that the Ministry of Education had received the submissions by Tuesday evening from school staff and parents.

The proposal would add a numerical scale to the national curriculum for compulsory schools. Critics say it lacks clear enough guidance for teachers, gives schools too little time to prepare and does not provide enough transparency for parents and other caregivers.

Many respondents support changing the grading system but question how the proposed reform would work. They say it appears to replace letter grades with numbers while keeping the same achievement criteria, rather than making the fundamental changes that have been sought.

Under the proposal, a grade of 4 would mean that a student had not met the relevant criteria. Grades of 5 and 6 would indicate progress towards meeting them, while 7 would mean the criteria had been met. Grades from 8 to 10 would reflect increasing depth, confidence, independence and application of skills. Teachers are encouraged to use the full 1-to-10 scale for assessments during the school year.

One longtime teacher questioned how students could receive 9 or 10 on assignments during the year but finish with a final grade of 7, given that the top grades require performance beyond the stated criteria.

Many teachers have called for the planned scale to be postponed for students graduating from 10th grade this spring. They want more preparation and implementation work with education professionals to ensure the system is fair, clear and consistent.