Longitudinal assessment of learning outcomes in basic education

In spring 2024, FINEEC assessed the competence of sixth-graders in mathematics and in mother tongue and literature. The purpose was to produce national information on pupils’ skills at the transition point between grades 6 and 7 in basic education. The same cohort was previously assessed in grades 1 and 3 as part of the longitudinal evaluation, and skills will be followed up again in grade 9.

This report presents the preliminary results of the grade-6 assessment, based on pupil-level data. The nationwide sample comprised 8,533 pupils from 266 schools: 7,447 Finnish-speaking and 1,086 Swedish-speaking. The sample included 569 pupils studying Finnish or Swedish as a second language (L2). Pupils completed digital tasks in the school’s language of instruction.

Participating pupils’ competence was broadly consistent across the country. Differences between the regions of the Regional State Administrative Agencies were small, though variation within regions existed. Achievement was slightly higher in cities than in small towns and rural municipalities. Pupils in Finnish- and Swedish-speaking schools performed at the same level in mathematics. In mother tongue and literature, pupils in Finnish-speaking schools were clearly more proficient than those in Swedish-speaking schools. The competence level of pupils studying Finnish or Swedish as a second language (L2) was clearly lower than that of other pupils, although individual differences were large in all groups.

In mathematics, girls and boys performed at the same level. Boys enjoyed mathematics more and were more confident in their skills than girls. Girls considered mathematics quite useful, while boys considered it somewhat useful. Pupils met the curriculum objectives well; 33% reached the level of good knowledge or higher. Teachers’ grades corresponded well to the skills pupils demonstrated in the assessment.

In mother tongue and literature, girls clearly outperformed boys. Pupils in Finnish-speaking schools also achieved better results than those in Swedish-speaking schools. Curriculum objectives were achieved satisfactorily in both the Finnish language and literature and Swedish language and literature syllabi. Overall, 81% of pupils performed at a level corresponding to grades 5–7, with many close to the upper end of that range; only 16% reached the level of good knowledge. Nevertheless, on their year-end reports, 81% of girls and 58% of boys received grades 8–10.

In the Finnish/Swedish as a second language (L2) syllabi, pupils’ backgrounds and skills varied considerably. Almost one in four pupils reached the national average level in mother tongue. Conversely, 46% fell into the lowest quintile of the national distribution. Separate criteria exist for second-language syllabi at different grades; compared with these, 52% achieved at least a good level (grade 8).

Differences between schools at the end of grade 6 were at the same level as at the beginning of grade 3 and remained moderate by international standards.