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Qualification criteriaThe National Curriculum Guide for Compulsory Schools lists eight areas of study: Icelandic, foreign languages, arts and crafts, natural sciences, school sports, social studies, mathematics and information and technology education. Each area of study describes the competences that students are expected to have. These are called competence criteria and are listed for grades 4, 7 and 10 in most subjects. Since foreign language studies do not begin at the beginning of compulsory school, as in most other subjects, competence criteria are set for levels 1, 2 and 3, which describe the competences that students are expected to have after the first, second and third parts of the study period. The criteria thus list milestones on the way to the competences that students are expected to have by the end of compulsory school. Competency standards are listed so that most students should have acquired the competencies described there, but as before, students may progress at different speeds and have varying levels of mastery of the competencies.
| By the end of 4th grade, a student can: | By the end of 7th grade, a student can: | By the end of the 10th grade, a student can: |
|---|---|---|
| tell about your own experience of nature and your view of an organism in its natural environment, | describe their experiences, observations and experiences of living things in their natural environment, | explain their own observations of living things, their behavior and habitats, |
| By the end of 4th grade, a student can: | By the end of 7th grade, a student can: | By the end of the 10th grade, a student can: |
|---|---|---|
| explained and demonstrated a work process that involves development from idea to artwork, | developed an idea from sketch to final work for both two- and three-dimensional works, | demonstrate and explain the work process from idea to final work, which includes information gathering, experiments and conversation, |
As can be seen from these examples of competency standards, competency is described in several main components for each learning area and presented in such a way that they show the progressive competency of each component from grade 4 to grade 10.
Competency standards state what competencies students should possess upon completion of their studies.
Subjects are tools for achieving competency standards. Learning materials, teaching methods and working methods in the school, as well as the organization, should all serve the competency standards that are being aimed for.