Yesterday, Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev stated that there is a need for fundamental changes in the assessment system.
It should be noted that the 12th issue of "Abituriyent" magazine was also published these days. According to the scientific and statistical data published in the magazine, 513 students who finished school with excellent grades last year scored between 0-200 points in the entrance exam. This fact has led to widespread discussions in society about the objectivity of assessments conducted in schools.
So, as emphasized by the Minister of Science and Education, what changes should be made in the existing assessment system? What is currently the biggest problem in terms of assessment approach?
Alihuseyn Yaqubov, winner of the "Young Teacher of the Year" competition and Azerbaijani language and literature teacher, told AEdu.az that sometimes it is impossible to convince even educated people that inflated grades do not benefit a student's future.
“This issue is one of those topics that always remains relevant. Previously, in some cases, teachers would give high grades to the children of their relatives or officials. That era is now behind us, and teachers strive for more objective assessment.
Nevertheless, certain problems related to assessment still remain. The statistics released by the State Examination Center also confirm this.
To prevent these situations, teachers must first be accountable. Currently, the Ministry of Science and Education and regional education departments analyze the results of graduation exams separately for schools and teachers, and preventive talks are held with teachers to prevent such cases in the future.
Despite this, we still encounter such cases from time to time. In some rare cases, we cannot even convince educated people that inflated grades play no role in a student's life.”
Punitive measures should be applied to teachers who give inflated grades:
“Incorrect assessment sometimes negatively affects people's lives. Especially in families with a low level of education, parents rely on the high grade given to their child, and the student does not want to leave their comfort zone and thinks that the grade reflects their real knowledge. Over time, it turns out that the teacher did not assess objectively, and the student cannot achieve the expected result.
Therefore, I believe that the existing accountability mechanism should be further strengthened. If a teacher has systematically given inflated grades, appropriate punitive measures should be applied.
Overall, our goal is to achieve a more transparent assessment process. For example, this year 12 students in our school were kept for summer assignments. Both teachers and parents now understand that a high grade should only be achieved through serious effort.
In addition, at the beginning of the academic year, we inform teachers that the results of graduation and entrance exams will be compared with their daily, small summative, large summative, and annual assessments. This encourages teachers to assess more objectively.”
