Latvian government again changes school assessment rules mid-year

Latvia's Cabinet of Ministers has approved amendments proposed by the Ministry of Education and Science to the national standards for basic and secondary education, as well as to the examination schedule. The decision was made after the current school year had already started, meaning students and teachers must adapt to new requirements mid-year.

What is changing

One of the key changes grants students the right to improve their summative grades, removing previously strict limitations on doing so.

Additionally, starting this school year, a new centralized exam in the natural sciences — specifically biology — has been introduced for 9th-grade students. The ministry frames this as a move to strengthen education in exact and natural sciences.

At the same time, upper-secondary students are no longer required to sit at least one advanced-level centralized exam, a requirement that previously applied.

Context

These changes are part of a broader series of recent adjustments to Latvia's education system, which have affected the significance of exams, the percentage threshold needed to pass them, and other grading principles. Changes have come more frequently than usual — not just at the start of a new school year or with a new minister, but during the school year itself.

The amendments take effect while students and teachers are already operating under previously established rules, meaning adaptation to the new requirements is happening mid-process rather than before it began.