All primary school children are monitored using the pupil tracking system. Most primary schools in the Netherlands use the Cito student tracking system. If you have children attending primary school, it is good to know how the student tracking system works. In the text I explain about the student tracking system, what it is used for and what it can do for you.
The Cito student tracking system
At primary school in the Netherlands, every child must be monitored by means of a pupil tracking system. Most of the schools use Cito’s student tracking system. For a long time it was only necessary to follow children in the cognitive field. This means that only the child was looked at in terms of learning. It has now been decided that children should also be monitored socio-emotional.
What is the student tracking system?
Cito is a company from Arnhem that specializes in the manufacture of keys for all levels. They also take the famous Cito final test every year, which is taken in group 8 in February. That test will probably be shifted to April or even June in the future.
Your son or daughter will be tested throughout your child’s school career. It starts in kindergarten when the children have to take the Ordering and Language for Preschoolers tests. In group 3, a number of tests are taken, such as the Math and Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and SVS (Spelling) tests. These tests are generally held in January and June. So just before the summer holidays and in February you can ask how your child took the tests.
Why are the tests of the student tracking system administered?
Throughout the school year, your child will be assessed in various ways. This could be for example through an observation of the teacher, or through a test that I hear the methods. For example, children are given a math test after each lesson block and they are often tested for topo and spelling. These tests give the teacher a good insight into what your child can and knows. Why then that student tracking system? The student tracking system has been set up to test children regardless of the material they have learned. These tests provide an independent picture of your child’s performance. In addition, the results of your child are compared with all children in the Netherlands, so that the school can get a good picture of where they stand as a school.
What will happen to the results?
Your child’s teacher checks the tests and converts the scores to a letter. The letters A to E are used:
- A = top 25% of all students score an A.
- B = all students with a score above the average score a B.
- C = 25% of the students who score just below average receive a C
- D = Students with a score between 10 and 25% receive a D.
- E = Pupils with a score in the lowest 10% receive an E
A list is made based on the scores. The teacher mainly looks at the children with a D and an E score, because they need extra explanation. Children with an A and a B score have a good understanding of the material that has been tested. The students with a C score should be closely monitored.
What does the teacher do with the results?
If all goes well, the teacher will discuss the results with you. Especially if your child has been in school a little longer, you can view the development of your child per subject area very nicely on graphs that can be made in the Cito program. If your school does not provide the test data itself, you must ask for it. After all, it is your child who attends school there.
The teacher will thoroughly analyze the students’ tests with an E and a D. This analysis shows what the student has difficulty with. With the help of the analysis result, the teacher draws up a plan that should result in a higher score for the next test.
What good is the student tracking system?
As mentioned before, you can use the student tracking system to sense how your child is developing. In the graph you can see what happened to your child during school time. Periods in which your child was not feeling well can, for example, be recognized by lower scores.
The results of the student tracking system show what kind of child you have in the field of learning. You can also take a follow-up school into account if, for example, you look at the graphs in group 7. Pupils who mainly score a C, a D or an E are likely to go to VMBO. Pupils with a mainly B score usually go to HAVO and students who predominantly score an A often go to VWO or HAVO. This is of course not a fixed rule, but it is a guideline that you can use.