Education council calls for less emphasis on tests at school

The Dutch education council Onderwijsraad has called on schools to place less emphasis on the role of tests in reports, diplomas and determining what sort of school a child should go to.

MPs earlier asked the council to make recommendations about the culture of continual testing at Dutch schools, following concern about the mounting pressure facing both children and staff.

By the time they complete their school education, pupils will have taken “hundreds” of tests, council chairwoman Louise Elffers said in her introduction to the report.

Tests, the council said, have a number of different functions – as a learning support tool, a way of selecting pupils and a measure to evaluate the quality of education itself. But those functions should be kept separate because pupils, teachers and schools are being “entangled” in them, the council said.

Tests, the council said, should be used less frequently to “count towards the end-of-term report”, or serve as a “stick” to motivate pupils to get to work.

In particular, the council recommends the introduction of a single test package to be taken by all children when they are in the final year of primary school and which is used to determine their secondary school stream.

Tests are currently offered by six companies.