Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise was asked to assess whether a basic school student has the right to retake an assignment that received a passing grade. To that end, she turned to the Ministry of Education and Research, inquiring whether schools can allow students to redo assignments graded as passing and under what conditions, as well as whether teachers may exercise discretion in granting such opportunities.

Marjeta Venno, head of the ministry's curriculum department, replied that if schools were legally required to allow students to retake or resubmit assignments regardless of the original grade and without limits, it would likely lead to a significant increase in teachers' workloads. After all, retakes must also be prepared and scheduled.

"Such a policy would probably result in many students approaching written or practical assignments with a trial-and-error mindset, thinking they can always redo it anyway," Venno said. "In a second attempt, students would also have a clearer idea of what the teacher expects, which in turn encourages a pattern where the initial submission becomes a farce."

However, Venno also noted that in the context of formative assessment, it makes sense to recognize a student's ongoing development in knowledge and skills.

"In assessment that supports the learning process, allowing repeat attempts is not necessarily a bad idea. For example, a teacher may give students the chance to repeatedly complete a test during the learning process to help them progress toward the expected outcome. Again, it's important to distinguish between formative and summative assessment," she added.

The ministry representative emphasized that a school can allow students to redo a positively graded assignment if such an option is provided for in the school's curriculum and/or if the teacher believes it supports the student's development and encourages more focused learning.

According to Venno, it is generally easy for a teacher to determine whether a particular piece of work or performance is below expectations based on the student's usual level.

In response to Madise's question about whether a teacher can allow a student to redo an assignment even when the school's curriculum does not explicitly provide for it, the ministry representative said it would not be reasonable to restrict that option.

"We must respect a teacher's autonomy in both instruction and assessment. In such cases, however, the teacher has a duty to inform students at the start of the academic period. For this reason, it's advisable to keep the list of conditions in the school curriculum open-ended," Venno suggested.

Estonian schools have the autonomy to draft their own grading guidelines, which may include procedures for retaking assignments graded as a "three" or "four."

For example, the grading policy of Hugo Treffner High School allows subject teachers to permit retakes of positively graded assignments. According to the guidelines at Häädemeeste High School, students may improve passing grades by arrangement with the teacher.

However, some schools make no mention of retaking positively graded assignments in their grading policies at all.

Most Estonian schools use a system of grades one through five, where three, four and five are passing grades.

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