Monitoring Student Progress in Reading
Schools issue descriptive report cards for individual students in October and June. Students who do not qualify for promotion to the next grade in at least three subjects must participate in compensatory sessions and complete further enrichment activities by the following September. Until Grade 6, students are continually assessed through observation of their in-class activities, oral or written examinations, and homework.
At the end of Grade 6, students take a regional examination developed by the Office for Assessment in the Ministry of Education in each province. Students who pass the examination receive an elementary school leaving certificate, while students who fail can retake the examination in September. Students who fail a second time may retake the examination the following year. The primary education grading system uses points earned through continual written and oral examinations incorporating national criteria. A total of 10 points out of 20 are required for promotion to the following grade.
The system of promotion in secondary school is similar to the system in primary school, but grading is not descriptive. Students in secondary school receive report cards on which they are graded on a 20 point system in each subject. At the end of upper secondary education, students who pass a national final examination receive a high school diploma. Graduates who want to go on to further education take a university entrance examination administered by the National Organization for Educational Testing.