Assessment in schools

Assessment in Finnish schools is predominantly formative and follows certain criteria or involves summative assessments at the end of school cycles. The role of assessment is to support learning in order to guide and encourage learners throughout their education, using a wide variety of approaches and tools (projects, interviews, observation, portfolios, etc.). Teaching favours cooperation between teachers and learners. Education is inclusive, recognising the strengths of all learners.

As part of this formative approach, home language competences are also assessed throughout the learner’s learning pathway. As the Finnish education system does not favour generalised tests (in the school system there is no generalised summative assessment in the form of tests before the baccalaureat), the home language competences of newly arriving learners are not assessed in order to place them. They are placed in a class for one year to learn two of the country's national languages, one of which is also the language of schooling in the region concerned (for example, in Vaasa, the dominant language of schooling is Swedish, while in Jÿveskÿla it is Finnish). At the end of the preparatory year, the learner is assessed using a formative approach based on criteria and self-assessment tools.

At the request of a minimum of 4 learners, home language teaching is provided for two hours a week throughout basic education, from the preparatory year (children aged 5, from 2022) to year 10 (year 9 is the end of lower secondary education). At upper secondary level, learning the home language is optional, and the time spent learning it is recognised in the school curriculum in the form of credits that count towards the school-leaving certificate.