Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Flemish students show significant math and reading comprehension challenges, with low top performers. Minister of Education Ben Weyts emphasizes the need to prioritize core subjects for educational improvement based on recent test results.
Are Flemish Students Meeting Math Problem-Solving Standards?
Students in the fourth year of primary education and the second year of secondary education mainly have problems with mathematics and in particular solving mathematical problems. The number of top performers in both years is also low. This was evident from the first results of the Flemish tests conducted. For Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA), the results prove “that we must stay the course in the coming years and focus on the essentials: Dutch, mathematics, knowledge acquisition”.
What Challenges Did the Flemish Tests Highlight in Education?
In the fourth year of primary education, only one in ten achieves the two highest skill levels for mathematical problem-solving. In the second year of secondary school, 13 per cent of the A-stream achieve the minimum goals for the A-stream in terms of solving mathematical problems, while in the B-stream this is one in five (21 per cent).
The marks for mathematics thematic tests are higher. In primary education, a significant number of students achieve skill levels A, B or C for operations, number sense, geometry and measuring arithmetic. In secondary education, almost all students in the A-stream achieve the minimum basic literacy objectives for the components of geometric objects and relations; perimeter, area and volume; tables and diagrams; transformations; proportions and comparisons. This figure is considerably lower for the minimum goals of the A-stream. In the B stream, many students do not achieve the minimum basic literacy goals.
How Are Reading Comprehension Skills Among Flemish Students?
Reading comprehension (how well can students understand, deduce and evaluate information from texts) also appears to be an issue, especially in primary education. In the fourth grade, only 16 per cent reach the two highest skill levels. In secondary education, almost all students in the A stream achieve the basic literacy standard. One in three does not meet the minimum targets for basic literacy. For the B stream, these figures are 74 and 55 per cent respectively.
What Percentage of Students Achieve Top Skill Levels?
In addition, it appears that the number of top performers, in other words, the number of students who achieve the highest skill level, is very low. In the fourth year, the percentage is 1 per cent for reading comprehension and mathematical problems. In the second year of secondary school, except for reading comprehension, this amounts to a maximum of 3 per cent in both the A and B streams.
“These results confirm the truth that we have finally started to identify in recent years,” says Weyts. “Thanks to this baseline measurement, we no longer have to sail blind. Schools receive rich school feedback that they can put to good use. We have tackled the problem of declining education quality and there is even a prospect of improvement if we continue on the path we are on.” The Flemish tests were taken for the first time in April and May by 69,500 fourth-year students and 63,000 second-year students. By 2027, all Flemish students will have to take the central tests four times.
