Comparison of pupils’ attainments between national assessments of knowledge and final school grades in mathematics

Jerneja Bone and Daniel Doz

Summary:  National assessments of students’ mathematical knowledge give educators, students, and policymakers some important feedback information about the quality of the educational system. However, this information is sometimes different from the one offered by mathematics teachers. Hence, it is important to consider both teachers’ grades and students’ attainments on standardised tests. This study attempted a longitudinal comparison of pupils’ scores on the National Assessments of Knowledge in mathematics and their final mathematics grades at the end of their final year of primary school. It was found that the percentage of pupils with the final grade “excellent” is slightly on the rise, and that the percentage of pupils with the grade “sufficient” is in a slight decline. A high correlation was also found between the hypothetical National Assessment of Knowledge grade and the final mathematics grade received at the end of the pupils’ final year of primary school.