Pupil/Students assessment

The aim of student assessment is to check the degree of acquisition of competences and their progress in all the learning processes.

The Government, through the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFD), in consultation with the autonomous communities, is responsible for designing the basic aspects of the curriculum in relation to, among others, the assessment criteria for each cycle, in order to ensure a common education throughout the national territory.

The assessment criteria are the reference points indicating the levels of performance expected of students in the situations or activities in which they must apply the specific competences for each area. 

They are completed and specified by the educational authorities in their respective administrative scopes. The educational institutions also do so in their programmes, while the teachers’ assembly is responsible for setting the criteria for pupil’s assessment.

Each teacher can adopt the evaluation techniques and instruments that he/she deems most appropriate in each context. Despite this, the use of varied, diverse, accessible and adapted assessment instruments for different learning situations is promoted. This way, objective assessment of all pupils is thus encouraged. Regardless of the monitoring carried out throughout the course, the teaching team, coordinated by the group tutor, will collectively assess student progress in a single assessment session at the end of the school year.

With regard to pupils with special educational needs, the most appropriate measures must be established to ensure that the requirements for carrying out the processes associated  to the educational assessment are adapted to their needs. In the case of these pupils, the assessment references will be those included in said adaptations, without this fact preventing them from being promoted to the next cycle or stage. This assessment allows them to be provided with the appropriate guidance and to modify the action plan, as well as the type of schooling, in order to favour the access of pupils to a more inclusive system.

The implementation of all modifications introduced in the Organic Law 2/2006 on Education (LOE) by the Organic Law 3/2020 (LOMLOE) regarding the curriculum, organisation and objectives of primary education was completed in the school year 2023/24.  

Formative assessment

During this stage, priority will be given to individualised attention to pupils, placing particular emphasis on the early identification of difficulties through early diagnosis. In addition, support and reinforcement mechanisms will be established with the aim of avoiding school re-sits, especially in socially disadvantaged contexts, where these measures are essential to promote equal opportunities.

As for educational assessment, it is characterised by being global and continuous, taking into account the development of key competences and the progress of students in their learning processes. The education authorities establish three key moments in this evaluation process: the initial assessment, which makes it possible to identify the student's needs; the continuous assessment, which accompanies the student's progress throughout the academic year; and the final assessment, which measures the results obtained at the end of the learning period.

In the context of a continuous assessment process, when any student's progress is not adequate, educational support measures will be provided. These measures will be adopted as soon as difficulties are identified, with special monitoring of the situation of pupils with special educational needs, and will be aimed at guaranteeing the acquisition of any learning that is essential to continue the educational process, with the support each pupil may require.

At the end of the second and fourth years, the tutor in charge of the class will issue a report on each student's degree of acquisition of skills, indicating, where appropriate, the reinforcement measures to be considered for the following cycle.

In order to guarantee the continuity of the pupils' training process, at the end of primary education, all pupils shall have a report drawn up by their tutor on their progress and the degree of skills acquisition developed, which shall be specified by each educational authority. In the case of pupils with special educational needs, the report should reflect the adaptations and measures adopted and their need for continuation in the next educational stage.

Written communications of assessment results are provided to families at least once in every trimester. Although these communications have no official academic value, they are essential to determine whether the student's progress is adequate and whether any kind of intervention or reinforcement is required. The tutor of each class is responsible for informing families on a regular basis, both about progress and about any difficulties that have been identified throughout the educational process.

The MEFD, after consulting the rest of the Education Administrations, establishes the basic assessment documents as well as the formal requirements resulting from the assessment process, in order to guarantee students' mobility.

The results of the evaluation are expressed in terms of the following. A ‘Fail’ is a negative assessment, whereas all the rest are positive:

• Fail (IN - Insuficiente);
• Pass (SU - Suficiente);
• Good (BI - Bien);
• Very Good (NT - Notable);
• Excellent (SB - Sobresaliente).

Educational authorities must guarantee the right of pupils to objective assessment and to have their commitment, effort and performance assessed and recognised objectively, for which purpose they shall establish the appropriate procedures, which must take into account the assessment characteristics determined by the national legislation in force.

At the same time, in those autonomous communities which have, together with Spanish, another official language according to their statutes, students may be excused from the assessment of said Co-official Language area or subject, as established by their regional regulations.

Within the framework established by each educational authority, the most appropriate measures must be established so that the conditions for carrying out the processes associated with assessment are adapted to the circumstances of pupils with specific educational support needs. These adaptations may under no circumstances be taken into account in order to lower the obtained marks.

Likewise, the generalised use of varied and diverse assessment instruments adapted to the different learning situations should be promoted, allowing for the objective assessment of all students. At the same time, it is necessary to establish flexibility measures and methodological alternatives in the teaching and assessment of the foreign language for students with specific educational support needs, especially for those with difficulties in comprehension and expression in said language.

Summative assessment

Two assessments of this type are carried out in primary education:

• a diagnostic evaluation at the end of the 4th year;
• an evaluation at the end of the stage. Additionally, at the end of the stage, each pupil receives a report on his or her progress and the development degree of key competences.

These evaluations are carried out by the educational institutions according to what the education authorities set.

Diagnostic assessments (evaluaciones de diagnóstico)

Article 21 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, establishes that in the fourth year of primary education, all schools must carry out a diagnostic assessment of a census nature to evaluate the skills acquired by their pupils (at least the degree of mastery in linguistic communication skills and mathematical competence will be checked). This assessment, which falls under the responsibility of the education authorities, is informative, instructional and orientative in nature for schools, teachers, pupils and their families and for the education community as a whole.

Within the framework of improvement plans based on the analysis of the results of this assessment, education authorities must encourage schools to draw up proposals for action that will help pupils achieve the established skills, enable them to adopt measures to improve the quality and equity of education and guide teaching practice; likewise, they must provide all schools with the relevant models and support so that they can conduct these assessments in an appropriate manner. Finally, they must regulate the way in which the results of these evaluations are made available for the educational community; in no case may the results of these evaluations be used for establishing school rankings.

The National Institute for Educational Assessment and the relevant bodies of the Administrations will collaborate in the development of the common theoretical frameworks that will serve as a reference for these assessments.

General evaluation of the education system

Article 143.2 of the LOE, as amended by the LOMLOE, states that, in the last year of primary education, an assessment of the skills acquired by pupils shall be carried out on a sample and multi-annual basis. This assessment is informative, instructional and orientative in nature for schools, and informative for teachers, pupils and their families or legal guardians, as well as for the education community as a whole. In addition, the ensuing information on the situation of pupils, schools and the education system itself will make it possible to take appropriate measures to improve any shortcomings.

In the first round of evaluations in the 6th year of Primary Education, the following competences are to be assessed:

• linguistic communication skills;
• mathematical competence and scientific, technological and engineering skills (STEM);
• digital skills;
• multilingual skills.

The assessment frameworks for each of these competences are provided by the National Institute for Educational Assessment. The first round of evaluations in the 6th year of Primary Education is planned for the school year 2025-2026.

Progression of pupils/students

The progression of students to the following year or stage, regulated by Order EFP/279/2022, involves several particularities. In the first, third and fifth years of the stage, students automatically move up to the next stage. However, in the second, fourth and sixth year, students progress to the next year or stage if they achieve the objectives of the year or stage and have acquired the corresponding key competences. If the student does not achieve all the objectives, they may move on to the next cycle or stage as long as this does not affect their ability to take advantage of the new year, in which case they will be provided with the necessary support to catch up on these objectives.

The decision for each student to move on is taken collectively by the teaching team, although special consideration is given to the information and criteria of the student's tutor. As for students with special educational needs, the assessment references will be those established in the corresponding curricular adaptations, without this preventing them from progressing from one cycle or stage to the next.

Repetition of a year is considered an exceptional measure and is applied only after having implemented enough ordinary, appropriate and personalised measures to address the student's curricular gap or learning difficulties. This decision is made when the teaching team, after assessing the situation, concludes that keeping the student in the same year is the most beneficial option for their development.

Repetition can only occur once during each educational stage, and must be accompanied by a specific and personalised support plan that allows the student to acquire the necessary competences during that year. In the case of students with special educational needs, an extension of the schooling period for an additional year is allowed if justified by personal circumstances, in order to ensure the achievement of basic education objectives. These circumstances may be either permanent or temporary, as long as they are duly accredited.

Parents or legal guardians have the right to be aware of the decisions concerning evaluation and promotion and must collaborate in the support or strengthening measures adopted by the schools in order to facilitate the pupils' education progression.

Certification

No certification is awarded at the end of primary education since, at this point, pupils have not yet completed their basic compulsory education, which comprises Primary and  Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). The primary education academic record is the official document reflecting the results of pupils' assessment, including their learning, the objectives achieved and the basic competences acquired during the stage. This record is valid as proof of the studies carried out and its custody corresponds to the educational centre where the pupil is enrolled, being supervised by the Educational inspection.

The academic record includes several essential aspects. These include the student's identification data, the subjects studied in each year of schooling and the results of the assessment at each level. Decisions on progression and retention are also documented, as well as the date on which those decisions were made. In addition, information is included regarding changes of school and the areas that have been completed with significant curricular adaptations, together with the date on which access to compulsory secondary education is proposed.