– I had top marks in mathematics when I went to upper secondary school, without working so hard for it, and then I have no chance at the national partial exam, says Sigurd Støver (21). He is a student at the primary school teacher training course 1st to 7th grade at OsloMet, and last month he completed his first year of study – but the summer holidays started with a disappointing result in the mathematics exam. – It’s no fun failing an exam. He was not alone, because 94 other of his fellow students received the grade F. Was warned All student teachers, whether they are going to be teachers in grades 1 to 7 or grades 5 to 10, must pass the national partial examination in mathematics. The exam has been known to have high failure rates year after year, but never before have so many failed as this spring. – We were warned by former students and by our teachers that there were many who were going to fail, so we put in a real effort which we thought should be good enough, says Støver. The student was initially satisfied with his own achievements, which he got the impression that several fellow students were also after completing the exam. Nevertheless, almost half of the students ended up with a failing grade. These must retake the exam in the autumn. – The results do not reflect the knowledge of the students. The exam is too difficult and the teaching is not good enough. – The students have to work more. Head of department for primary school teacher education at OsloMet, Vibeke Bjarnø, announces that the high failure rate did not come as a surprise at the university. – The students need to work much more with the subject. You can’t memorize mathematics. You have to build up understanding. A future teacher cannot have misunderstandings in mathematics. We must therefore set strict and educational requirements in teacher training, she says. HIGH PASS RATE: Statistics on the distribution of grades in the national partial examination in mathematics didactics from 2020 to 2023. Four out of ten students who will become teachers in grades 1 to 7 failed. Photo: Nokut Despite the fact that more and more students are failing their exams at all teacher education programs in the country, there is one university that is doing better than ever. – Strong professional environment At the University of Agder (UiA), less than five percent of students who completed this year’s exam failed. – We are very happy about the good results we have achieved, because it shows that long-term quality work bears fruit, says vice-rector and dean for teacher education at UiA, Hilde Inntjore. VICE Rector: Hilde Inntjore Photo: UiA – At UiA, we have a long tradition of research in mathematics didactics, which we actively use in teacher education. We therefore have a strong professional environment. In addition, we are clear about this with compulsory attendance. The students must participate actively and take part in group lessons, which gives good results in the long term. Inntjore thinks the poor results at other universities and colleges are a shame. – After all, we should talk to each other across the institutions in order to share the good experiences and arrangements with each other. – The institutions must learn from each other – It is important that we carry out the national part-examination in mathematics, so that we gain an insight into where the country is. It gives feedback to the study centers about how they are doing, and thus the institutions themselves can go in and see where things are failing in order to improve the teaching programs. That’s what the CEO of Nokut, Kristin Vinje, says. The exam has been developed by Nokut, and they carry out continuous analyzes to map the students’ level of knowledge. – We believe that part of the reason why so many fail is poor prior knowledge of mathematics. In addition, we know that the results in mathematics in primary and secondary school are not that impressive. So this is an ongoing problem. NOKUT DIRECTOR: – Never before has there been such a large proportion of failures, and the grades are worse. It is worrying, says Kristin Vinje. Photo: Nokut / Nokut – Why are there such large variations across the universities and colleges? – What we see is that some institutions have worked well and, for example, created preliminary courses, so that they prepare the students before they start teaching. Several also map the students’ level and adapt the teaching accordingly. The measures produce good results, so here the institutions can learn from each other and be inspired. Better foundation with R or S maths The Nokut director also believes that poor exam results may be related to the 4 requirement in mathematics from upper secondary school, in order to enter teacher training, which was removed last year. – The students who took the exam this year had different admission requirements, in that some universities take the exam in the first year, while others take it in the second year. Therefore, some of the students have had 4 requirements, while others have not. We cannot, however, say anything concrete about the effects of this in the investigations we have carried out so far. – What about the type of mathematics the students have had in upper secondary school. Could that have had something to do with the results? – It certainly has. We have not analyzed this exactly, but P-mathematics is the simplest form of mathematics at upper secondary school that everyone must have. So if you had R maths, which is more science-oriented, or S maths, i.e. social studies maths, then you are stronger and have a better basis for doing well in the mathematics subject on the teacher’s course. – Motivated students Sigurd Støver has complained about the failing grade, but he is prepared to have to retake the exam in the autumn. – We will have another attempt on 30 November, so I will work hard towards it, says the student. – I hope that OsloMet makes arrangements for extra education for us as residents so that we get through. We are a whole group of almost 100 people, and we are motivated students who want to become teachers. – We will have extra teaching and guidance this autumn, and it will be an offer both for those new to teacher training and for those who have to take the exam again, announces Vibeke Bjarnø from OsloMet.
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A record number of failed exams, but one place of study is doing better than ever – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
