Dutch Education Council Calls for Less Emphasis on Tests in Schools
The Dutch Education Council, Onderwijsraad, has called for reducing the influence of exams on school reports, diplomas, and decisions about which type of school students should attend. The council’s recommendation came after growing debates in the country about the increasing exam pressure on students and teachers.
Members of parliament had asked the council to prepare an advisory report evaluating the effects of the increasingly common culture of continuous testing in Dutch schools on children and school staff. In the introduction to the report, Council Chair Louise Elffers drew attention to the fact that students take “hundreds” of tests by the time they complete their school education.
Onderwijsraad recommended that exams be used less often as a criterion affecting end-of-term reports. The council also stated that exams should not be seen as a “stick” used to force students to study. According to the report, exams should be considered as tools that support learning rather than instruments that create constant pressure on students.
One of the council’s key recommendations was the introduction of a single test package for all students in the final year of primary school. This test package would be used to help determine which type of secondary school students should attend. In this way, the council aims to create a simpler, fairer, and more controlled assessment process within the exam system.