Slob will come up with a law abolishing arithmetic test as soon as possible
Education Minister Arie Slob will submit a bill as soon as possible that will make the math test in secondary education a thing of the past. It means that from next school year, 2019-2020, students no longer have to take a math test to get their diploma.
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The minister registers this a letter to the House of Representatives. He thus meets the wishes of coalition parties CDA and D66 previously filed motions to abolish the test. Slob pleaded therefor precisely for a math test that schools are allowed to take themselves and which also counts towards the diploma.
Soon
After the summer, the House can expect the bill, writes Slob. In order for secondary school students to actually obtain a diploma without a math test from 2019-2020 onwards, the House needs to be dealt with quickly, according to the minister.
Schools must integrate the subject of arithmetic with the subject of mathematics and other school subjects. In the lower years, students receive additional training in arithmetic and in the upper years they must maintain the skills. That is a wish of the Dutch Association of Mathematics Teachers (NVvW).
It takes time for schools to fully incorporate arithmetic into the school subjects. The question is how the math level of the students will be maintained in the meantime. Especially the level of students who do not take an exam in mathematics. Slob writes that he will discuss this with the secondary education council, the representative of the school boards. He also supports a call from the NVvW to schools to continue to pay attention to arithmetic.
Mbo
The arithmetic test will continue to exist in MBO. The test should only be more in line with the MBO programs and the future profession of the students, so that they can see what the skills are for them and can actually use them.
In his letter, Slob states that from next school year he will make it possible to take a separate math test per mbo institution in addition to the existing digital central exam. These tests will only count from 2020-2021. Next school year, MBO students only have to take the test.
The Minister does not think that entrance exams for MBO are a good idea. In doing so, he responds to noises from the sector in order to gauge the math level of future students when the test is abolished in secondary education. The minister believes that diagnostic tests that students are already taking for their study choices can provide a solution.
