School success criteria for children from tradition to the 21st century

On Friday, January 17, 2024, report cards will be distributed in primary and secondary schools across Turkey. For students, a report card means a holiday and gifts! For teachers, it means measuring the effort put in throughout a term. For parents, it means learning about their children's academic progress! As such, there is a sweet excitement among students, teachers, and parents before report card day. 

There is indeed a sweet excitement, but this year, first-grade primary school students will not receive report cards! I can hear you asking, "What do you mean?" Yes, this year, first-grade primary school students will not receive report cards! Because, according to the statement made by the Ministry of National Education, within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model (TYMM), instead of report cards, a "development report" containing the students' social, emotional, and learning skills will be provided for first-grade primary school students this year. It will also be possible to access these reports digitally via e-school. 

The development reports, which consist of 5 pages, will cover the individual assessment of all themes completed by the student up to that term, as well as their social and emotional skills. Thus, a concrete output of the process-oriented assessment provided by the TYMM will be delivered to the student and the family. With development reports, teachers will express their observations about the student instead of giving numerical grades. In this way, the student will be able to see how they have progressed over the year by the end of the year. How this practice, which will be implemented for the first time, will be received by students and parents is a matter of great curiosity! Because how "success" is measured in schools, which are among the most fundamental institutions of the concept of education, has been a frequently debated topic since the past.

Defining and measuring success in education, although it has shown significant changes over time, has always been one of the fundamental issues of the concept of education. Traditional criteria were generally based on concrete data such as exam results, grades, and teacher evaluations. However, today, a broader perspective is needed when evaluating children's school success. In the traditional system, the knowledge and skills students acquire in line with a specific curriculum are tested through oral or written exams. This traditional method has been a practical tool for determining students' academic success. However, these criteria have some limitations. For example, exam success alone may ignore students' problem-solving skills, creativity, or social skills. In addition, exam stress can pose a major obstacle for some students.

Today, school success criteria are not limited to academic success alone. Education systems are adopting a wider range of assessments to support the multifaceted development of students. According to this new understanding, success should be measured not only by knowledge accumulation but also by the student's skill development, emotional intelligence, creativity, and social skills.

Students' social relationships and emotional intelligence are important factors affecting school success. Skills such as empathy, cooperation, leadership, and conflict resolution are critical for both individual development and social harmony. Such skills can determine how students perform in classroom interactions and extracurricular activities.

In today's world, focusing only on exam results when evaluating children's school success will be insufficient. Success is a combination of social, emotional, creative, and academic skills in a much wider spectrum. For this reason, the "development report" practice, which will be implemented for the first time for first-grade primary school students in our country, is promising.