Moldova ends decade of qualitative-only primary school grading
Moldova's Ministry of Education and Research will reintroduce numerical grades for fourth-graders in Romanian Language and Literature and Mathematics starting 1 September, ending nearly a decade in which primary school pupils were assessed only through descriptive ratings such as "very good," "good," or "satisfactory."
The change follows a year-long pilot during the 2025–2026 school year, designed to test the new approach before a nationwide rollout. State Secretary Valentina Olaru said the pilot showed the shift eases pupils' transition to secondary school.
"The piloting showed us that this change eases the transition to secondary school, and the views expressed by teachers helped us finalise a balanced, workable document adapted to the realities of schools. Above all, we want assessment to be a tool that supports every child's learning and progress," Olaru said.
The pilot ran in 268 schools teaching in Romanian and Russian, involving about 2,500 primary school staff — classroom teachers as well as specialists in foreign languages, music, physical education and Romanian as a second language.
More than 2,300 teachers attended district-level events during the pilot, alongside methodological seminars on the "Recovery" remediation procedure, ongoing advisory sessions, and a national round table on self-assessment. Inspectors also observed more than 140 lessons directly in 49 schools and collected teachers' suggestions for improvement.
The ministry said the pilot confirmed the need to modernise the assessment system and showed the new rules work in practice. The final methodology, approved by the ministry, was shaped by teachers' experience and recommendations, the Ministry of Education and Research said in a statement.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
