08 April 2020 – Established special measures for secondary school grading and exams

Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Adapting or closing schools
Level of Jurisdiction: National

Overview: The Dutch Government has announced measures for secondary or highschool exams to take place from 4 June 2020. These are intended to count 50 percent towards a student”s final grade and to make up for central (nationwide) exams being cancelled.

Schools have the option to conduct oral exams via the phone, or follow strict physical distancing measures to conduct tests on school grounds. This includes limiting the number of students in a room, maintaining a distance of 1.5 meters, having clear signage to avoid crowding, and to ensure students do not wander around the school grounds.

The government has also established a scheme outlining the minimum grade requirements students need to pass their level of secondary education. This is the so-called pass-fail scheme, and is different for the type of secondary education being undertaken. Students in the Netherlands are able to choose the type of secondary school education they wish to undertake. This ranges from vocational studies to preparatory and general higher-level education i.e. voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs (VMBO), hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs (HAVO) or voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs (VWO).
Full details here: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/eindexamens/eindexamens-2020-tijdens-corona