On changing Unified State Exam dates, tests, Olympiads and other checks for school children.
Briefing by Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov
Excerpts from the transcript:
Sergei Kravtsov: Good afternoon, colleagues.
I would like to make a few announcements, first of all on the holding of national tests and Olympiads.
First. Regarding the holding of tests at the national level. They were supposed to be taken by children of the 4th-8th and 10th-11th grades. After having consulted with teachers, regions, education community representatives as well as parents, we have decided to postpone the national tests from the end of this academic year to the start of the new one. At the same time, the results of these tests at the beginning of the next academic year will not be used to review the performance of pupils and will not be graded. They will be only used to assess the situation at the onset of the academic year to adjust the educational process. This assessment will show if there are any gaps when it comes to the knowledge of a pupil. After these tests, teachers will receive relevant recommendations, and methodological measures will be developed by pedagogic universities, additional training institutes and methodological services. Work is already underway to prepare such programmes, and this job will be coordinated by the Education Ministry.
As for the 9th grade, the main state exam. It was decided that it will be taken in two obligatory subjects: the Russian language and mathematics. Each region while taking an informed decision given the epidemiological situation, will set the date themselves, between 8 June and 31 July. Ninth graders will not have to take tests as part of the state end-of-course assessment.
The regions will have the right to determine the
minimal final assessment grade for ninth-graders depending on the results they
will show. It can be lower than the recommended one at the federal level. The
Unified State Exam has also been postponed. So far, it was decided to begin it
on 8 June, but there again it will all depend of the epidemiological situation.
The exam may be postponed once again if we see that its holding could affect
the health of the children, but the final decision will be made after the May
holidays.
The organisational side of tests will not change, and all measures to provide
the objectivity in holding the USE and the equal opportunities for all test
participants when enrolling at universities will be retained. The Education
Ministry has postponed the tests so that the graduates of the 9th
and 11th grades would have time to prepare. Second, we organised relevant
work, including the My School Online project where one can find all the
necessary material for the end-of-course assessment free of charge.
As of next week, we are launching a new television project aimed at preparing secondary
school children for the Unified State Exam. These daily lessons on the Public
Television channel will start on 27 April. Also next week, starting Monday 20
April, Tricolor TV will show lessons on how to prepare for the USE. It will
help many school pupils, including those living in remote areas.
Question: What will happen to the final stage of
the National School Olympiad?
Briefing by Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov
Sergei Kravtsov: The National School Olympiad is one of the largest intellectual competitions in Russia and the world. For obvious reasons, we cannot hold its final stage this year. So it was decided that the participants in the regional stage of the Olympiad who are graduating this year, 11-graders who got the pass marks that were set by the Education Ministry, will all be considered medalists and will receive certificates.
Other participants in this year’s regional stage of the Olympiad who also received pass marks but will continue going to school next academic year will receive the right to take part in the final stage in 2021, without the mandatory participation in the school, municipal and regional stages.