Adaptation of the grading system to Comvux

The plan establishes that adult education colleges need to exist throughout the country and that it shall become easier to get an education after primary school regardless of who you are, which bears the demand that the application of the grading system in adult education shall be investigated specifically. The plan also recognises the problem of grade inflation that the committee raises, but concludes that adult education's own conditions must be taken into account so as not to exclude those who need a second chance.

• status of adult educationdecisive»Folkhögskolor och Komvux behövs i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Folk high schools and adult education colleges need to exist throughout the country.”
• accessible further education»Det måste bli lättare att utbilda sig efter grundskolan oavsett vem du är, tjockleken på din plånbok eller var i landet du bor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It must become easier to study after primary school regardless of who you are, the thickness of your wallet or where in the country you live.”
• equivalent grading»Dessutom leder den marknadsanpassade skolan till betygsinflation, segregation och ökad ojämlikhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Moreover, the market-adapted school leads to grade inflation, segregation and increased inequality.”
• lifelong learning»Bildning sker genom hela livet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Learning happens throughout life.”

The plan requires a fair and accurate grading system and good opportunities for education and transition throughout life, which presupposes that the special conditions of adult education are handled. An investigation into how the new grading system shall be implemented within adult education serves both commitments. However, the plan does not take a position on the design of qualification assessment.

• equivalent gradingdecisive»Rättvist och rättvisande betygssystem i svensk skola.« (party programme ↗)“Fair and accurate grading system in Swedish schools.”
• lifelong learning»Goda möjligheter till kompetensutveckling och omställning genom hela livet.« (party programme ↗)“Good opportunities for skills development and transition throughout life.”
• path to further studies»Tillgång till högre utbildning av hög kvalitet i hela landet.« (party programme ↗)“Access to higher education of high quality throughout the country.”

The plan establishes that grades should never be the dominant selection instrument and that assessment should promote learning rather than sorting. A merit value that is largely based on national final exams risks displacing the teacher's assessment in adult education, and the counter-proposal's requirement for an investigation into how the system should function in adult education follows from the plan's commitment that adult education should be protected and that no path should be a dead end.

• grades not the dominant selection tooldecisive»Betyg ska aldrig vara det enda, eller ens det dominerande, urvalsinstrumentet för fortsatta studier och ska inte ges före högstadiet.« (party programme ↗)“Grades should never be the only, or even the dominant, selection instrument for continued studies and should not be given before upper secondary school.”
• assessment not sorting»Bedömningen i skolan ska främja lärande och utveckling – inte sortering.« (party programme ↗)“Assessment in schools should promote learning and development – not sorting.”
• no dead ends»Det ska inte finnas återvändsgränder i utbildningssystemet – alla ska ha möjlighet att byta bana under olika skeden i livet.« (party programme ↗)“There should be no dead ends in the education system – everyone should have the opportunity to change paths at different stages of life.”
• adult education protected»Folkhögskolans breda kursutbud, yrkeshögskolan och andra vuxenutbildningar ska värnas och byggas ut för att möta både individens drömmar och samhällets behov.« (party programme ↗)“The folk high school's broad course offerings, vocational higher education and other adult education should be protected and expanded to meet both individual aspirations and society's needs.”

The election manifesto promises that all who want to can be educated throughout their lives and demands educational opportunities tailored to each individual's circumstances. Komvux with continuous admission and individual study pace is exactly such an activity where a gymnasium-adjusted grade assessment can go wrong. Investigating implementation within adult education therefore follows from the plan, which at the same time wants to sort out grade inflation.

• lifelong learningdecisive»Alla som vill ska ha möjlighet att utbilda sig genom hela livet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All who want to shall have the opportunity to educate themselves throughout their lives.”
• education tailored to the individual»bättre utbildningsmöjligheter anpassade efter den enskildes« (2022 manifesto ↗)“better educational opportunities tailored to the individual's”
• retraining later in life»För den som förlorat arbetet, eller vill byta inriktning senare i livet, måste studiesystemet erbjuda möjligheter« (party programme ↗)“For those who have lost work, or want to change direction later in life, the education system must offer opportunities”
• equivalent grade assessment»Betygsinflationen måste ordnas upp, med oberoende rättning och kontroll av resultat.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Grade inflation must be sorted out, with independent marking and checking of results.”

The plan requires that individuals later in life shall be able to renew their knowledge and also improve results from earlier education, and that adult education is flexible with flexible study time. A system of merit evaluation based on national final tests with waiting times risks counteracting precisely this in municipal adult education. That investigating how the system shall be implemented within adult education therefore follows from the plan, which at the same time wants equivalent knowledge measurement.

• right to improve grades laterdecisive»Individen måste ges större möjlighet att senare i livet välja ny inriktning, förnya sina kunskaper och likaså förbättra resultat på tidigare utbildningar även om man erhållit godkända betyg från dem.« (party programme ↗)“The individual must be given greater opportunity later in life to choose a new direction, renew their knowledge and likewise improve results from earlier education even if they have received passing grades for them.”
• flexible adult education»Detta åstadkoms genom en väl fungerande och flexibel kommunal vuxenutbildning, kompletterande yrkesutbildningar i bristyrken samt en utbyggd yrkeshögskola med hög kvalitet.« (party programme ↗)“This is achieved through a well-functioning and flexible municipal adult education, supplementary vocational education in areas of labour shortage and an expanded vocational college of high quality.”
• flexible study pace»Studietidens längd ska vara flexibel och utbildningen ska vara anpassad till arbetsmarknaden.« (party programme ↗)“The length of study time shall be flexible and education shall be adapted to the labour market.”
• equivalent knowledge measurement»Utvärdering behövs för att mäta kunskap och garantera stöd och hjälp i tid.« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation is needed to measure knowledge and guarantee support and help in time.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires well-developed adult education and that the opportunity to study not be restricted to younger years, as this shall respond to the labour market's changing needs. A merit rating system built on upper secondary school's preconditions risks functioning worse in adult education (komvux) with continuous admission and individual study pace, which justifies the investigation the counter-proposal requests. The plan also gives the teacher's assessment a clear role in the evaluation of knowledge.

• well-developed adult educationdecisive»Det innebär att vuxenutbildningen ska vara väl utbyggd.« (party programme ↗)“This means that adult education shall be well developed.”
• studies throughout life»Möjligheterna till fortsatta studier ska inte vara begränsade till ett visst åldersintervall i yngre år.« (party programme ↗)“Opportunities for continued study shall not be limited to a certain age interval in younger years.”
• adult education's role»Därigenom ökar dessutom förutsättningarna att tillgodose arbetsmarknadens mångfacetterade och ofta snabbt skiftande behov av utbildad arbetskraft.« (party programme ↗)“This also increases the preconditions to meet the labour market's multifaceted and often rapidly changing needs for educated workforce.”
• teacher's assessment»Genom utvecklingssamtal och betyg ska elevernas kunskapsbildning utvärderas för att förbättringsområden ska kunna identifieras.« (party programme ↗)“Through developmental talks and grades, students' knowledge development shall be evaluated so that areas for improvement can be identified.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's decisive commitment is centrally marked national tests and understandable grade criteria to combat grade inflation and unequal grading. The counter-proposal wants to investigate how the system should be adapted to adult education and warns that the tests crowd out the teacher's assessment. That pulls in the opposite direction from the plan's requirement for equivalent, centrally controlled grades.

• central marking to counter unequal treatmentdecisive»Införa central rättning av betygsgrundande nationella prov samt ett slutprov efter årskurs nio – och ge Skolinspektionen i uppdrag att granska skolor som avviker från nationella prov« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce central marking of grade-determining national tests and a final test after year nine – and task the School Inspectorate with inspecting schools that deviate from national tests”
• understandable grade criteria»Betygskriterier som är begripliga och centralt rättade nationella prov, för att bekämpa betygsinflationen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Grade criteria that are understandable and centrally marked national tests, to combat grade inflation.”
• stop grade inflation»Sätta stopp för betygsinflation och olämpliga påtryckningar från föräldrar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop grade inflation and inappropriate pressure from parents”
• equivalent requirements from the state»Staten har en avgörande uppgift att först och främst fastställa och följa upp tydliga kunskapskrav.« (party programme ↗)“The state has a decisive task first and foremost to set and follow up clear knowledge requirements.”

The plan wants to strengthen teachers' position and authority and requires that education be adapted to labor market needs. The counter-proposal's demand for an investigation into how the new grading system should be applied in adult education, with concern that final exams push aside the teacher's assessment, aligns with these commitments. The plan at the same time requires that grades fairly measure knowledge, which does not prevent adaptation to adult education's conditions.

• strengthened teacher assessmentdecisive»Ge lärare ökade befogenheter och bättre ställning i sin yrkesroll« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give teachers increased authority and better position in their professional role”
• labor market-adapted education»Utbilda efter de behov som finns på arbetsmarknaden« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Educate according to the needs that exist in the labor market”
• fair knowledge assessment»Syftet med betyg skall vara att dels rättvist kunna mäta kunskap och arbetsinsats, dels stimulera eleverna och uppmuntra dem till bättre resultat.« (party programme ↗)“The purpose of grades should be both to fairly measure knowledge and work effort, and to stimulate students and encourage them to better results.”
• career path for all»Ge alla grunden till ett yrke som efterfrågas på arbetsmarknaden« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give everyone the foundation for a profession that is in demand in the labor market”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.