Education researchers in Finland have criticised a proposal to test whole age groups of primary school pupils, arguing the drawbacks would outweigh any benefits, Yle News reports.
Parliament's Audit Committee has suggested schools could trial national tests to get reliable data on learning, amid concern over falling results in international Pisa assessments. Some economists support the idea because it would allow comparisons between regions and schools.
Jaakko Kauko, an education policy expert at Tampere University, said evidence from other countries linking such tests to better results was weak or contradictory, and that weaker schools in particular had not gained. Christian Ydesen of the University of Zurich pointed to Denmark, where pupils now sit ten national tests during their schooling but Pisa scores have declined again. MPs are due to debate the committee's report on Thursday.
Source: Yle News
