Materials of the discussion about the final examination of high school students (RPCDE, April 13, 2005)

Abstract

How to stop reporting false grades on final examinations is one of the most complicated problems of our education. A discussion at a meeting of the Russian Public Council on the Development of Education (RPCDE) is perhaps the first professional discussion of this serious problem, which has both moral and socio-political aspects. Why do teachers choose to falsify the results of their own work, why are students unable to become sufficiently proficient in the state curriculum? Is the latter too complicated or too far removed from real life? Do these problems exist in other countries, and how are they solved? What role can the USE (Unified State Exam) and education reform as a whole play in overcoming this problem? These and other questions related to the final examination of high school students were the subject of the discussion at the RPCDE.