The goals of the basic education program are defined in the National Standard of Basic Education and these are as follows: to provide the basic knowledge and skills required for the public and personal life to a student; to form basis for a student’s further education; to promote harmonic formation and development of a student’s personality; to encourage the formation of a student’s responsible attitude towards himself/ herself, society, environment and the state.
Studies in the basic education program are started in a calendar year when a child turns 7 years. Admission of students for studies in the basic education program is carried out in compliance to the procedure stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers. When a student is admitted to state or municipal schools, except gymnasiums and state gymnasiums, it is not permitted to organise any admission tests. Students shall have completed the pre-school education program or mandatory pre-school education program for five and six years old children prior to commencing studies in Grade One.
Full basic education program is completed within a period of nine years in Grades 1 to 9 (except several special basic education programs. The length of an academic year amounting to 34 or 37 weeks is set in the Law on General Education. The dates of a start and end of an academic year, as well as the school holiday breaks are set by the Cabinet of Ministers.
A student’s maximum study load per day shall not exceed the following set limits:
- 5 study lessons – Grades 1 to 3;
- 6 study lessons – Grades 4 and 5;
- 7 study lessons – Grades 6 and 7;
- 8 study lessons – Grades 8 and 9.
The class work lesson, which is mandatory for every class as at least one lesson per week, as well as individual, optional subjects and interest education classes are not included in the calculation of the total load of study lessons. The mandatory subjects to be looked into during class work lessons include behaviour and communications culture, civil education, basics of a healthy lifestyle and prevention of addictions, activities in extraordinary situations, traffic safety, career choice.
The studies lessons load shall not exceed the following weekly limits within a single basic education program:
- Grade 1 - 22 study lessons;
- Grade 2 - 23 study lessons;
- Grade 3 - 24 study lessons;
- Grade 4 - 26 study lessons;
- Grade 5 - 28 study lessons;
- Grade 6 - 30 study lessons;
- Grade 7 - 32 study lessons;
- Grades 8 and 9 – 34 study lessons.
Students’ achievements within a study process are assessed in compliance to the procedure defined in the National Standard of Basic Education:
In Grade 1 the descriptive assessment system is used, students’ study activities, work style, communication and cooperation skills, attitude and dynamics in the study process are briefly characterised either in writing or orally;
In Grades 2 and 3 the grading system of 10 grades is applied in the Latvian language, the minority national language and mathematics, and the descriptive assessment system is used in all the other study subjects;
In Grade 4 the grading system of 10 grades is applied in the Latvian language, the minority national language, mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the descriptive assessment system is used in all the other study subjects;
The grading system of 10 grades is applied for the assessment of a student’s study achievements in Grades 5 to 9.
|
Areas of education and study subjects |
Approximate split of the study |
|
Languages |
|
|
Latvian language and literature |
17,8% |
|
First foreign language |
8,3% |
|
Second foreign language |
4,3% |
|
Basis of technologies and science |
|
|
Mathematics |
19% |
|
Information technology |
1,2% |
|
Natural sciences (Grades 1-6) |
4,7% |
|
Biology |
2,4% |
|
Physics |
1,6% |
|
Chemistry |
1,6% |
|
Geographic |
2,4% |
|
Person and society |
|
|
History of Latvia and the world |
3,2% |
|
Social knowledge |
4,7% |
|
Ethics and/ or Christianity (Grades 1 – 3) |
1,2% |
|
Home keeping and technologies |
5,5% |
|
Sports |
7,1% |
|
Arts |
|
|
Literature |
4,3% |
|
Music |
5,9% |
|
Visual art |
5,1% |
|
A student’s maximum study load |
(~8855 study lessons) 100% |
