Zabudnutá väčšina: Prečo tradičné hodnotenie zlyháva v inkluzívnych triedach

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https://doi.org/10.54937/ssf.2026.25.2.82-91

Autor/ Author: Katarzyna Coombs-Hoar         

In: Studia Scientifica Facultatis Paedagogicae Universitas Catholica Ružomberok

ISSN: 1336-2232

Ročník/ Volume: XXV.

Číslo/ Issue: 2

Strany/ Page Range: 82-91

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2026

Jazyk/ Language: English

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: This article explores the relevance and fairness of traditional grading systems in Polish primary education, particularly in classes 4–8. While early education (classes 1–3) employs descriptive, developmental assessment aligned with each child’s individual progress, older students are subjected to rigid numerical grading (scale 1–6), a model increasingly disconnected from the realities of today’s inclusive education. Since the introduction of inclusive schooling, a significant proportion of students are assessed under individualized criteria often based on psychological and pedagogical documentation. However, the same grading scale continues to be applied universally, creating a system in which fairness and comparability are nearly impossible to maintain. Ironically, the greatest disadvantage falls on students without formal diagnoses or learning requirements. Moreover, the article argues that numerical grading no longer serves a meaningful purpose in the broader educational journey. Contemporary secondary schools, in most cases, admit all students regardless of grades. Practices such as repeating a year have nearly disappeared, replaced by preventive and supportive programs aimed at helping struggling students in real time. The article calls for a critical re-evaluation of the role of grades in classes 4–8, advocating for alternative assessment strategies that reflect students’ learning processes, competencies, and growth. It also questions the psychological impact of rigid grading on motivation, especially among pupils who fall outside of both the “special needs” and “gifted” categories. The current system, inherited from a different era, may no longer fit the inclusive, flexible, and supportive model Polish education claims to embrace.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Grading system. Inclusive education. Primary school assessment. Individualization. Educational policy.

Citácia/ How to cite:

COOMBS-Hoar, Katarzyna, 2026. The Forgotten Majority: Why Traditional Grading Fails in Inclusive Classrooms. Studia Scientifica Facultatis Paedagogicae Universitas Catholica Ružomberok. Online. Vol. XXV., no. 2, pp. 82-91. ISSN 1336-2232. Available from: https://doi.org/10.54937/ssf.2026.25.2.82-91

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.