What does a new format for exams for children promise?

The main pedagogical department plans in the new academic year to switch to new rules for school-based in-school assessment of students' knowledge, provides for a reduction in the teaching load of schoolchildren, and create new-generation textbooks. The process will begin with the junior class.

It's no secret that the teaching texts for all school classes, without exception, are overloaded with secondary and illustrative material, which are difficult for mastering. Teachers themselves complain that as a result of reducing the number of hours to study natural science disciplines, while increasing the volume of scientific content of these subjects, the workload of students has increased, and the quality of instruction has decreased. Over the past four years, the quality of students' knowledge, skills and abilities at the level of "application" has decreased by an average of 18% in physics, 12% in chemistry, and 14% in biology. The result of this is that more than 40% of graduates in entrance examinations to universities gain only 0-200 points. These are the official data of the State Examination Commission (SEC.)

Another innovation concerns preferential admission to universities of winners of the Olympiads, other competitions and tournaments. According to the new rules, winners of international Olympiads in any specialty can enter the universities, and winners of republican subject of Olympiads - on specialties corresponding to the subjects for which they became winners. Earlier, as is known, only the prize-winners of international intellectual competitions could be enrolled without entrance examinations to profile specialties.

However, the main innovation of the forthcoming academic year will be the application of a new model of final and entrance examinations to universities. After long consultations the Ministry of Education and the State Examination Center (SEC) finally came to a common denominator on this issue.

The head of the press service of the HEC Khanlar Khanlarzadeh reports, that in 2009 the country's general educational institutions have been training children in new curricula (curricula), textbooks developed in accordance with the new content standards have been applied. Consequently, the curriculum also provides for new means of assessing the knowledge and skills of children. The final assessment of knowledge at the level of general secondary education (nine years) in 2017 was conducted on the basis of new rules. Since 2019, final examinations for students at the level of complete secondary education (11 years), as well as entrance examinations to universities and colleges will be held in a new format.

According to Khanlarzadeh, according to the new model, final exams for students of the 11th grade will be on three subjects - Azerbaijani (or Russian) language, mathematics, a foreign language. In addition, at the entrance examinations to universities, the number of subjects will also decrease from five to three. In the first group, applicants instead of the current five subjects - Azerbaijani (Russian) language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, foreign language, will pass the exam in mathematics, physics and chemistry. In the second group, instead of the Azerbaijani (Russian) language, mathematics, History of Azerbaijan, geography and a foreign language, there will be mathematics, geography and general history. According to the third group, testing instead of Azerbaijani (Russian) language, mathematics, literature, history, foreign language will be in Azerbaijani (Russian) language, history and literature. On Fourth group instead of examinations in Azerbaijani (Russian) language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, there will be examinations in chemistry, biology and physics.

Khanlarzade noted, there will be changes in the structure of test tasks. The number of open-type tests will increase, requiring not one of the four options for an answer, as is currently practiced, but an independent solution to problem, its justification and presentation in writing. Gradation graduation of knowledge of the applicant will also change. On final school examinations the maximum score is 300 points, on entrance exams - 400 points. Thus, in higher education institutions 700-ball system is preserved. When admission to universities will be taken into account the overall results of graduation and admission exams, but the final result of applicants will be assessed on a 700-point system.