Pupil/students assessment

Assessment procedure

The teaching of subjects runs in two teaching periods called school terms. The first term lasts from 11 September until 20 January. The second term lasts from 21 January until the end of the teaching period on 30 June. Students are assessed for each subject separately. Teachers of the corresponding subjects are responsible for carrying out the assessment.

Assessment of student performance during school terms

Student assessment takes into account the general performance of students throughout the school year and the end-of school year written exams. School performance  is based on the following criteria:

1. Classroom participation, which helps teachers identify and assess students’ knowledge level, understanding of concepts and phenomena, as well as problem-solving, communication, critical thinking and creative skills.
2. Individual and group work assigned as part of the daily learning process, at school or as homework.
3. Individual or group multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary tasks.
4.   For group A and group B subjects, which are core curriculum subjects, there is one compulsory test per term. For group C  subjects there is no compulsory revision test. For detailed description on core subjects see section 6.1 Organisation of general lower secondary education.
5. Brief tests, in the form of brief written questions, held at the teacher's discretion, with or without prior warning of students 

At the end of each school term, parents and/or guardians are invited to school to be informed on the progress, general performance and conduct of their children and to receive the children’s individual performance report. At the end of the first two terms, which is, practically, also the end of the teaching period, i.e. between June 1^st and June 15^th, students take written exams on all Group A subjects, the result of which determines whether they will be promoted to the next grade or graduate. 

Written progression and school-leaving exams

Written progression (in grades A and B) and school-leaving (in grade C) exams are foreseen in  lower secondary education.  The school head and the school teachers’ board are responsible for the exams.  The school teacher’s board specifies the exams schedule.  The school head announces the schedule at least 3 days before the end of all lessons and the official teaching period.

 The two thirds (2/3) of the total syllabus are subject to assessment.  In any case, it is not possible to assess less than half of the syllabus.
Teachers are responsible for selecting and properly defining the syllabus content that will be assessed.  When a subject is instructed by more than one teacher, these teachers must work together to produce the course topics for assessment.  After the proposal is submitted, it has to be approved by the school head.
The course topics per subject to be examined are  announced to students a week before the final lesson and the end of the teaching period. 
Teachers of the subjects assessed prepare the tests on the day of examination.  All classes sit the same exams.  In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to administer different tests for the same subject.  At least one teacher/exam invigilator is present in the classroom during the assessment. 

Grading school-year performance

Records given for chool-year performance for Group A subjects consist of one third of the total sum of points during the first school term, the second school term and revision tests. 

School-year performance on Group B and C subjects is estimated as the average result obtained during the first and second school terms.

Grading system

The grading scale for calculating student performance on all subjects ranges on 0 to 20 grading scale comes with the following qualitative comments:

Only whole numbers are used for pupils' assessment in each subject. 

Progression of pupils/students

Students may be promoted to the next grade or graduate when two requirements, as listed below, are met at the same time:

1. Minimum average result of all records
2. Sufficient attendance.

Minimum average result of all grades

Student progression to Grades A and B or school graduation at the end of grade C, take place:

• When school-year performance is at least 10 for each subject or
• When average result on school-year performance is 13.

If students do not meet the requirements of progression or school graduation, they must re-sit exams. The exam period is repeated on the first ten days of September, before the starting of the next school year; the students should repeat examination in the subjects on which they got an average result lower than 10, provided that these school subjects are not more than four. 
When the total grade point average is lower than 10 and the student has failed in more than 4 subjects, the student cannot progress to the next level by re-sitting exams in any school subject. In this case students have to repeat the same grade,.
Grade A and grade B students failing once again in September examinations, do not progress to the next grade and have to re-attend the same grade. 
Grade C students who fail to progress cannot graduate and have to re-attend the same grade.
The average result required for progression (grades A and B) or graduation (grade C) of students with disabilities and special educational needs is less than the mainstream class general point average and the minimum GPA should be at least 12.

Sufficient attendance

Another necessary prerequisite for the progression or graduation of students in all grades of lower secondary school is adequate attendance during the relevant school year (ministerial decision 79942/ΓΔ4/21-5-2019).
Attendance is characterized as adequate or inadequate, based on the total number of absences.  Absences are registered per teaching hour and must not exceed the 114 per school year.
In the case of music, arts and evening schools, it is plus 16 absences. If a student exceeds the threshold of 130 absences, the student is required to repeat the grade, as attendance is insufficient.
Progression, graduation and reference to the special exam period of June/September or grade repetition depend on the legislation in place.  Parents are not involved in taking such a decision.

Certification

 Lower secondary school graduates are awarded the lower secondary education school-leaving certificate (apolytirio gymnasiou).
The graduation certificate includes the photograph and the personal details of the student and it indicates both in words and figures:

• records per course during the school year
• The leaving general point average, which may also include a fraction.

The lower secondary education schoo-lleaving certificate is issued by the school unit the pupil graduated from.  It is an official state document of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.  It bears the signature of the school head,  of the school-leaving certificate editor and members of the teachers’ board, who collectively constitute the leadership of the relevant school unit.
The leaving certificate is issued after the results of the exams.  
Holders of a lower secondary school leaving certificate have the following options:

1. Enrol in genikia lykeia (general upper secondary schools)
2. Enrol in epangelmatika lykeia (vocational upper secondary Schools)
3. Enrol in Vocational Training Schools 
4. Enrol in the Vocational Apprenticeship Schools of Manpower Employment Organisation.
5. Join the labour market without specialisation.

Teacher evaluation

The aim of teacher evaluation is to improve individual performance and the quality of public education. This evaluation is carried out in accordance with the principles of: impartiality, service, capacity or competence to educate and support and efficiency, taking into account the specificity of the offered educational, pedagogical and support work.

Secondary education teachers are evaluated for pedagogical responsibility, service continuity and proficiency, in particular a) by the Education advisor of the respective field of education, in terms of the general and special didactics of the cognitive subject and b) by the school head, in terms of the pedagogical methods and classroom management. 

Fields and evaluation criteria of teachers' work

Teacher’s work is evaluated on a four-point descriptive scale, in which their work is graded from excellent, to very good, to satisfactory or to unsatisfactory, on the grounds of: 

1. the teaching and pedagogical work,  and
2. service continuity and proficiency of the teacher.

The evaluator discusses the results of his/her evaluation with the teacher, documenting the assessment in writing, to the teacher concerned. In cases where there is a disagreement regarding the assessment, the teacher may, within five (5) days, submit a report with his/her observations. Each teacher may register in an electronic file,  accessible through the Unified digital portal of public administration, and upload documents related to training experience as a trainer and trainee, pedagogic and didactic writing work, teaching work, participation in European and research programs, as well as all kinds of actions that contribute to the qualitative upgrading of his/her role in the educational and teaching process.

Utilization of evaluation results

In the event that the work of a teacher is definitively evaluated as "unsatisfactory", the teacher concerned has to attend a mandatory training program, prepared by the Institute of educational policy (IEP). The topic of  training and its duration is determined by the decision of the Education quality supervisor, following a recommendation by the Education advisor (Law 4823/2021).