Assessment of learning outcomes in mother tongue (L1) and literature in the final stage of basic education

1/2018–5/2020

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre assesses the learning outcomes of grade 9 pupils in mother tongue and literature (syllabi in Finnish/Swedish language and literature). The assessment targets the key objectives of the syllabi in Finnish/Swedish language and literature specified in the National core curriculum for basic education (2014). These include interaction skills, reading and writing skills (interpretation, production and evaluation of texts) as well as language, literature and cultural contents. The National core curriculum stresses language awareness and multiliteracies, and the assessment also targets these skills. The assessment focuses on establishing 1) what type of knowledge and skills related to the key objectives of mother tongue and literature grade 9 pupils demonstrate, and 2) whether there are regional disparities or differences linked to the school, pupils’ gender or pupil assessment results in achieving the objectives, and what the causes of the potential differences could be.

For the first time, the assessment of learning outcomes in mother tongue and literature is carried out entirely by digital means, making it possible to include more diverse assignments and to obtain assessment data of a new type.