1.A student in front of the school building. Illustrative photo.
Prague – The majority of Czechs do not agree with the proposal to abolish grading in the first grades of primary schools. 53 percent of Czechs do not want stamps to be abolished. This follows from a survey by the STEM/MARK agency, the results of which are available to ČTK. 39 percent of respondents would welcome the verbal evaluation instead of grades, which is proposed by the Ministry of Education for the first to third grades of primary schools. Eight percent of people are undecided.
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Proponents of grading consider the current grading system to be clearer, more objective and more motivating. Proponents of verbal assessment promise an individual approach and less stress for children since the abolition of grades. “The idea of introducing a verbal assessment has more support, mainly among young people under 30, on the contrary, resistance to such a change is the strongest among seniors,” said Radek Pileček from the STEM/MARK agency.
People who have experience with or have encountered verbal assessment are more positive about the proposal to abolish marking. 28 percent of people declared personal or mediated experience with a verbal evaluation, in Prague it was 41 percent. Almost two-thirds of these respondents evaluated the experience of verbal evaluation positively.
“It turns out that greater awareness of the positive benefits could make people change their minds and give the green light to verbal evaluation. For many Czechs, it is probably a fear of something unknown, about which they do not yet have enough information, how it actually works in practice,” says Pileček.
The most frequently mentioned reason why people wish to preserve stamps is custom and tradition. They value simplicity, clarity and comprehensibility in the survey marks. The main positive, why some would prefer verbal assessment on the other hand, is to reduce the pressure that is put on young children by grades, which can cause them stress. According to those interviewed, an indisputable advantage is also a more personal approach and an emphasis on revealing the individual qualities and shortcomings of each student.
The STEM/MARK agency's research was conducted through an online survey of the Czech National Panel and 504 adults participated. It took place between February 13 and 17, 2023.
