Research on Final Assessment

In Norway, final assessment (standpunktvurdering) refers to the teacher’s assessment of a student’s overall achievement in a subject at the end of lower or upper secondary school. Around 80 percent of the grades after 13 years of schooling are set by teachers through final assessment, while about 20 percent come from national examinations.

Researchers from the Department of Teacher Education at NTNU are studying practices and processes in final assessment, and how the intentions of the curricula are translated into practice. The results of the study can, among other things, provide information on how school leaders and decision-makers should facilitate and support teachers in processes of developing their assessment capacity.

The project has two parts: The first part investigates how teachers use the assessment texts in the curricula and the descriptors of achievement when assessing their students. The second part examines the characteristics of practices and processes in final assessment.

The project is funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training and coordinated by the Norwegian National Writing Centre. The Centre also contributes with research design as well as data collection and analysis.

To answer the research questions, we will conduct surveys with 100–150 teachers per subject. Three lower secondary schools and three upper secondary schools will participate as case schools. Teachers and school leaders at these schools will take part in group interviews. The researchers will also observe what happens in grading meetings in the different subjects. In addition, they will analyse documents such as assessment plans, assignments, criteria, guidelines, and subject curricula.

So far, the study has examined practices and processes for teachers in lower and upper secondary schools in the subjects Norwegian, Mathematics, Science, Music (lower secondary only), and Health and Social Care (upper secondary only). In 2025, the following subjects will be investigated: Social Studies, Food and Health (lower secondary only), and Physical Education (both lower and upper secondary).