Which tests does school use?.

Different tests

Your child is tested regularly at school. This is to check if they understand the lessons well, how they perform compared to other children, and what they may know but cannot yet show well. There are also some required tests in education, like the secondary school transition test in group 8 and tests for the final exam at secondary school. Most test results are part of the student monitoring system.

Method test

Schools use teaching methods to teach the material to students. These methods include tests that check if your child masters the material. The more questions they answer correctly, the better they know the material. Method tests are always practiced beforehand. Your child should be able to answer all questions correctly. The grade shows how well your child understands the material. If your child fails or the results for a part are weak, the teacher needs to give extra explanation or practice. Method test grades are usually in the report.

Student monitoring system test

In primary school and sometimes in the lower years of secondary school, one or two student monitoring system tests are taken per year, such as Cito tests. These form the basis for the student monitoring system.

These tests show how your child performs compared to other students. So the tests include not only lessons already taught but also old and future lessons. By including old lessons, the teacher can check if your child still knows that material. By including harder questions, your child can show what else they know. Your child does not have to answer all questions correctly. It is not needed to practice for these tests. But it helps to practice once so your child knows how the questions and answer options look.

Usually, the teacher takes no action based on the outcome. The test is to follow the development. Only an unusual score needs extra research. The result also helps decide which level of secondary school fits your child. Schools often use these tests for the school advice in group 8. A student monitoring system test is sometimes called a progress test, skill test, or Cito test at some schools.

Intelligence test

An intelligence test measures your child’s IQ. This means not what your child knows but what they can do. Intelligence tests measure if your child can solve problems and answer questions quickly and well. Most children (about 95%) have an IQ between 75 and 130. An IQ of 100 is average. Different parts can have different scores. This shows what your child is naturally good or less good at.

Sometimes an intelligence test gives extra information. For example, when there is a suspicion of giftedness or if the school suspects a learning delay has another cause than your child’s ability. Often the NIO test is used in education, but there are other tests like the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children), the RAKIT (Revision Amsterdam Child Intelligence Test) and the GIT (Groningen intelligence test). An intelligence test is given by a psychologist or pedagogue and is often called a capacity test.

Diagnostic test

A diagnostic test checks if your child has a learning or behavioral disorder. For example dyslexia or ADHD. This research is only used if the school has tried several things already. The school does not give this test but outsources it to a psychologist or pedagogue.

Secondary school transition test

In the first two full weeks of February in group 8, your child takes the secondary school transition test. This test is compulsory and checks what your child can do at the end of primary school. The secondary school transition test is part of the move to secondary school.