Placement test
A diagnostic test to assess prior learning and other areas of socialisation (families, etc.)
The organisation of intake and schooling for new learners is centralised at the level of the Ministry of Education (since 2016) in order to guarantee the same quality of reception and equity in education. The same assessment materials and processes are used for all learners. Courses in the mother tongue can be taken right up to the end of schooling and earn extra points that can help learners gain access to higher education, for example.
At national level, there are two compulsory stages linked to reception and the assessment of the competences of learners entering the Swedish education system. These are carried out no later than two months after the pupil's arrival:
- an interview with learners and their families, in the presence of an interpreter: the learners are each asked about their languages and how they are used (at home, by friends, etc.), their experiences and previous schooling, how they learn, their plans/ for and expectations of life in Sweden;
- an assessment of literacy and numeracy, based on the same material (texts translated into around twenty languages). During this assessment, particular attention may be paid to oral expression (fluency, cohesion, etc.) in line with the guidelines followed by the assessor.
Who is involved in the assessments?
These assessments, set up jointly by the city and the school, are carried out by teachers with the support of interpreters or teachers of the home language(s) from the municipalities, or experts recruited for the assessment.
Objectives:
The aims are both to measure prior learning in terms of cognitive, literacy and numeracy competences prior to entry into the new school system (diagnostic assessment), and also to ensure continuity between pathways (academic and personal) by assessing oral competences and offering the opportunity to continue learning in the home language(s) or the language of earlier schooling.
The assessment is therefore both diagnostic and formative. Feedback to the learners and their families is not given in the form of a mark, but rather in the form of an assessment. This is to highlight the competences learners already have and use, their strengths and areas in need of consolidation. Learners choose the language in which they wish to take the placement test.