Higher Education Department is responsible for the monitoring of the higher education system and Department of Research and Development for the monitoring of research and development institutions in Estonia.
The organisation and management of governmental supervision and the issuing of education licenses (in the case of vocational education institutions awarding the right to provide instruction) is regulated by the Pre-school Child Care Institutions Act, Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act, Vocational Educational Institutions Act, Private Schools Act, Hobby Schools Act. The Adult Education Act regulates the awarding of educational licenses for adult education institutions.
Pursuant to the Government of the Republic Act, supervisory control is organised to ensure the legality and expediency of the activities of state educational institutions. Pursuant to the Local Government Organisation Act, supervisory control is organised to ensure the legality and expediency of the activities at educational institutions. Read more about the arrangement of supervision control from The Inspectorete of Education 2016 Estonia.
Further information:
- Advisor of the External Evaluation Department Hille Voolaid, [email protected], phone +372 7350 109.
The External Evaluation Department:
- develops the external performance review system for education and youth work;
- plans and coordinates activities supporting quality assurances;
- ensures the implementation of and counselling on the internal performance review of educational institutions;
- advises education and youth work specialists on their sphere of activity;
- advises supervisory officials for educational institutions and coordinates their co-operation;
- coordinates the cooperation with international organisations on external performance review;
- organises the activities of the Inspectors of the European School representing Estonia.
The department also:
- manages the issuing of education licenses;
- organises the registration of vocational education and hobby schools´ curricula;
- coordinates the external evaluation of learning outcomes in the general educational system;
- organises governmental supervision of the teaching and educational activities of educational and youth work institutions;
- assists the Minister with the organisation of supervisory control;
- coordinates international studies on the quality of education;
- organises the counselling of educational institutions on internal performance review;
- organises the generalisation and publication of the results of external performance reviews;
- develops and coordinates the European Social Fund programmes that support the goals of the activities of the department.
In order to graduate from upper secondary education, students take three state examinations in Estonian language, mathematics and foreign language. In addition, students need to take a school examination and complete a student research paper or practical project.
Those who do not have Estonian as their first language may also take the Estonian language examination as a second language, in the cases provided for in the National Curriculum of the upper secondary school.
International exams in foreign language
An internationally recognised foreign language exam is equivalent to a state foreign language exam. Students will have opportunity to take English Language B1/B2 or the Cambridge English C1 Advanced examination.
Students have been given the opportunity to take an internationally recognised language test in English, German, French or Russian. According to the laws of the Republic of Estonia, internationally recognised language exam is equated to a foreign language state exam. Students can take either the national English B1/B2 examination or the Cambridge English C1 Advanced examination delivered by the Education and Youth Authority.
Presentation of the results of international language examinations as language proficiency levels
If students achieve the level required in the assessment instruction of the international examination, they will be issued an internationally recognised certificate of language proficiency.
The Education and Youth Board makes the following information available for each student:
- the student’s language proficiency level,
- the results of the sub-skills in the manner in which they are presented on the international certificate or its supplement.
The results of the foreign language examinations (English, French, German and Russian as a second language) between 1997—2013 will be converted into the CEFR language proficiency levels as follows:
| 1—50 points | below level B1 |
| 51—65 points | level B1 |
| 66—100 points | level B2 |
Internationally recognised language proficiency tests which are recognised as substitutes of the foreign language state examination.
English
- Cambridge English: B1 Preliminary (PET)
- Cambridge English: B2 First (FCE)
- Cambridge English: C1 Advanced (CAE)
- Cambridge English: C2 Proficiency (CPE)
- The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT
- Pearson Test of English General (PTE General)
French
- DELF B1-level;
- DELF B2-level;
- DALF C1-level.
German
- Goethe-Zertifikat B1-level;
- Goethe-Zertifikat B2-level;
- Goethe-Zertifikat C1-level;
- Goethe-Zertifikat C2-level;
- TestDaF (TDN3);
- TestDaF (TDN4);
- TestDaF (TDN5);
- Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Zertifikat B1;
- Österreichisches Sprachdiplom B2 Mittelstufe Deutsch;
- Österreichisches Sprachdiplom C1 Oberstufe Deutsch;
- Deutsches Sprachdiplom I B1-level;
- Deutsches Sprachdiplom II B2-level;
- Deutsches Sprachdiplom II C1-level;
- Deutschprüfung der Allgemeinen deutschen Hochschulreife.
Russian
- Тест по русскому языку как иностранному B1-level;
- Тест по русскому языку как иностранному B2-level.
School examination of upper secondary school
The school examination is selected, prepared and organized by the school.
National standard-determining test consists of questions and tasks prepared by the Education and Youth Board. The test assesses the acquisition of general competencies, field competencies, crosscutting topics and learning outcomes in the national curriculum. The aim of the test is to give honest, objective and comparable feedback on the student's competencies to the student, parents, teacher, school and the state.
Level work is no longer a small exam or a summary work at the end of the school year, but a tool for the teacher to guide and organise teaching. No grades are awarded to students for national standard-determining tests, nor are the results of level assignments taken into account in the quarterly or annual summary assessment. Rankings are not compiled for students, schools or counties. Much more important than the grade, number or letter is the substantive feedback explaining the result of the test.
Each student who has taken the standard-determining test will see a feedback page about his / her results in the examination information system.
The feedback page for science test provides an overview of the levels achieved by the student (elementary, intermediate, advanced and top level) in four skills: knowledge, analysis skills, planning skills and interpretation skills. In addition, suggestions are given to the student to reach the next level. If necessary, the teacher will help to interpret the feedback page based on the instructions.
Each student receives verbal feedback on solving the test in mathematics. Results are not presented as points or scores. The student is given feedback by the assessed topics (calculation, geometric shapes, measurement and text assignments) and starts with the words: you can, you know, you should learn more, depending on the student's result.
The results of the tests are analysed in a generalised way, at the national level.
Based on the analyses, we get an evidence-based basis for changing national curricula, improving teacher training and in-service training. If the school conducts the test in the same subject in both 4th and 7th grade, we can also give the school feedback on how the progress of students' learning outcomes in this subject has progressed.
Last updated: 17.10.2022