Adlercreutz urges schools to set measurable learning targets

Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz wants schools to adopt clear numerical targets, such as asking pupils to read one book each month. He told Yle’s Ykkösaamu morning programme that measurable goals could make teaching clearer.

Adlercreutz said regular reading can improve fluency, concentration and learning across subjects. He pointed to a school in Kontula, Helsinki, where pupils receive daily reading homework that is monitored. The school’s programme has helped its pupils win a national reading competition for two years in a row, he said.

The minister said these examples showed how quantity-based targets could work, and he hopes numerical goals will be included in the next national curriculum. He also called for higher expectations in schools.

Adlercreutz opposes national tests for comprehensive schools, arguing they could narrow teaching, increase stress and reduce teachers’ autonomy. Parliament has recently approved a committee report proposing a trial of standardised tests for pupils, for example in grades three, six and nine. The tests would provide comparable data on schools and help assess the effects of education reforms.

He said he understands the need for better data but believes national tests could have negative effects on everyday school life. The government has already approved a legislative change, known as the learning guarantee, intended to make assessment more consistent. It will introduce a national bank of standardised tasks for schools.