Latvia will maintain the current evaluation standards for this year's 9th-grade exams.
In an announcement made by the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM), the passing threshold for the Grade 9 centralized exams has been held steady for another academic year. The decision was made due to a lack of support mechanisms, some of which are still at the implementation stage.
The Grade 9 centralized exams, which were first introduced in the 2022/2023 school year, are repeated for those who fail to pass. The exams were designed to ensure a uniform standard of assessment across the nation.
In the 2022/2023 school year, a total of 881 Grade 9 pupils failed one or more of the three exams. Of those who retook the exams, 86.8% passed, while 13.2% failed. This marked an improvement in the passing rate compared to the initial exams.
Meanwhile, the passing threshold for the Grade 12 centralized exams remains at 20%. However, the Ministry has not yet made a decision on whether to maintain this threshold for another academic year. The Grade 12 centralized exams were not held in the 2022/2023 school year, and the number of Grade 12 pupils who retook the exams is not provided.
The implementation of support mechanisms for the Grade 9 exams is still ongoing, with some mechanisms still at the implementation stage. The support mechanisms are intended to help students better prepare for and perform well in the exams.
It is worth noting that the reasons behind the freezing of the Grade 9 exam performance threshold for another academic year are not specified in the available data. For more detailed information, it is recommended to consult the official announcements or press releases from the Ministry of Education and Science in the country of interest.
Continuously working to improve education-and-self-development, the Ministry of Education and Science is implementing support mechanisms to aid Grade 9 students in excelling during the centralized exams. These support mechanisms include resources for learning better and preparing thoroughly for the exams.
