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Today, elementary students receive their first grade in sixth grade. Recently, the government presented a proposal that all schools that want to be allowed to introduce grades earlier, starting with the fourth grade. This was something the Liberals achieved in the January cooperation and the Riksdag is expected to vote in favor soon.
But to enter notes in the lower grades it has been a debated topic in Swedish politics for a long time. Many critical voices have been raised, including from the National Education Agency, the Ombudsman for Children, the two teachers’ unions and the Swedish Student Council.
A recurring objection has been that there is a lack of research support to benefit children’s knowledge learning. Another fear is that it could contribute to stress for children.
But at the International English SchoolWhere four of the schools in the cluster have participated in a multi-year trial operation with previous grades, grade stress is not something that has been a major problem, according to the schools’ own evaluations.
– There have been some cases. When you find out they’re feeling stressed, you’ve seen the importance of inviting parents and teachers into a joint conversation about what the purpose of grades is and how they work, to calm and support them, says Director of Education Annakarin Johansson Sandman.
Two of the other largest independent school groups, Kunskapsskolan and Academedia, have not made a decision at the group level to introduce the previous grades permanently.
Karin Runblom
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