Parliament this Wednesday unanimously approved a hearing with the Minister of Education to clarify the assessment tests, which are being administered digitally for the first time to all students.
The requests were approved by the PSD and the Liberal Initiative, who criticized the way the assessments are conducted, pointing out shortcomings reported by teacher associations.
On Tuesday, during a panel discussion with the minister, both sides cited a report from the National Association of Computer Science Teachers (ANPR) that pointed to technical problems with digital tests.
João Costa responded that the survey in question was “not true”, elaborating that the information and communication technology (ICT) test was given to approximately 85,000 8th grade students and the reported response rates are similar to previous years when the test was taken on paper.
The ministry’s data also shows that “63% took the test in less time than needed to complete it” and that “only 9% of students” needed extra time to complete the test.
However, Anpri’s report states that the majority of students were unable to complete the test on time, primarily due to technical issues.
Assessment tests for 2nd, 5th and 8th grades have been taking place since May 2, and this is the first time they are being conducted digitally, with plans to extend the measure in 2024 to national 9th grade tests and, in 2025 national secondary exams.