Named the rules of the exam in 2023

Every year in the golden autumn, parents of schoolchildren, and especially graduates, cling to the screens – the time comes for the All-Russian Parents’ Meeting. The only chance of the year to learn first-hand all the news about state exams and more. You can even ask the minister personally. Or, as this time, to the head of Rosobrnadzor.

At the meeting, they recalled the shortage of cartridges and paper, the “heavy information field” and the fear of dropping threshold scores when entering universities. By the way, there was a question about them from the audience – will the minimum scores increase in 2023? The head of Rosobrnadzor, Anzor Muzaev, said that his department would not raise its figures, but he did not vouch for the Ministry of Education and Science and the relevant ministries. That is, they probably will. Another feature of the time is that children studying abroad online will be given the opportunity to pass state exams.

Since, with the introduction of new educational standards, there are a lot of rumors around the Unified State Examination, All-Russian Testing Works (VPR) and other exams with control tests, the meeting tried to refute them all in turn.

“Will all exams be held on computers?” No, they will not do. Except for computer science alone, and even then the organization of the exam in electronic form took 7 years, because the regions do not have the machines they need, nor the trained personnel. “700,000 is the peak value of those who pass the exam,” Muzaev said.

“Will there be a division of the Russian language into a basic level and an advanced “profile”? This is another persistent rumor. And this is not planned either. The admission to the exam will still be an essay / presentation (and to the exam, after grade 9, oral Russian). Because “what if not the presentation of thoughts in the native language and reasoning can be a sign of maturity?”

This year there will be not 5, but 6 essay topics. “The participation procedure does not change. Directions are changing. The FIPI website will feature a bank with topic sections. This year (there) will not include new topics,” said Oksana Reshetnikova, director of the Federal Institute for Pedagogical Measurements (FIPI). But later the bank of topics will be replenished.

Not everything is so clear with the Unified State Examination for those who graduate from grade 11, but do not want to enter a university. Perhaps “for these 10%” the exam will indeed become optional, but definitely not this year. “There must be a regulatory framework, we have a government, the State Duma … We need a change in the law.”

The question of spoken English at the Unified State Examination remains equally debatable. Somewhere you can listen to a recording of the answer when a dispute arises, but not in other places – it depends on the region.

It was clearly stated what would not be on the exam.

There will be no practical laboratories in chemistry and physics; there are no organizational possibilities for this. There will be no change in the quantity and quality of compulsory and optional subjects. Compulsory Russian and Mathematics and two additional, no more. A third compulsory subject, such as English, will not be introduced.

Parents from the Belgorod region asked about exams for the border regions. The audience was assured that safety is paramount. There are reserve days, and the drop-off points will be moved to safe places if necessary. For graduates from the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson region, “comfortable conditions for delivery” are promised. A similar situation was in Crimean schools in 2014, and last year in Donbas. But it is still difficult to specify, documents on a special delivery procedure “for 4 new subjects of the Russian Federation” are under consideration by the government.

Almost as many as about the Unified State Examination, there were questions about the VPR that set the teeth on edge. In many schools in 2022, the All-Russians were postponed to autumn. Judging by the reaction of the main “supervisors” of education, schoolchildren will have to write VPR for a long time. The control sang a real praise as the only tool to keep from biased assessments, undeserved medals, inadequate teaching and other things. They say that thousands of schools that draw fives have been brought to light only thanks to the VPR. The head of the department did not answer the question from the audience whether it is possible for a child not to write a VPR at all.

A large number of exams and tests cause stress in children, parents complained. “The exam is a motivator. A young man must mobilize – a new buzzword,” the head of Rosobrnadzor said. “We are not discussing either an increase in exams or a decrease in them.”