Ministry of Education developing a new exam information system

Electronic primary school final exams will debut in 2027 on a newly developed exam info system (EIS) platform, with trial e-tests next year ensuring smoother processes, enhanced user experience, and minimized technical risks.
This, it is argued, will ensure that primary school final exams can be conducted electronically in 2027.
To successfully implement e-exams, it is also thought necessary to create a reliable and functional e-environment for students, minimizing technical risks.
To achieve this, the e-exam platform is to be thoroughly updated to modernize the system and improve the user experience, Deputy Secretary General at the Ministry, Henry Kattago, said.
The ministry has also initiated the transfer of the exam information system to the Education and Youth Board (Harno).
According to Kattago, this is expected to happen this year.
Integration and future development
"If the user support and development of the exam information system also move to Harno, the responsibility for exam organization and technical management will be consolidated in one place," Harno's director, Jaak Raie, said.
"This creates an opportunity for faster decision-making processes and more integrated management of the environment," Raie went on.
According to the Ministry of Education and Research, the goal is for the electronic trial exams in the spring of next year to take place in an upgraded environment, which will allow the functionality of the system and the assessment tool to be tested with a large number of students.
The purpose of these trial exams is not only to test tech readiness but also the substantive accuracy and objectivity of exams as an assessment tool.
This coming spring, electronic trial exams will be conducted on a voluntary basis and with a limited sample.
The exam trials will allow schools to practice exam organization and prepare both students and teachers for future exam procedures.
The development partner for the exam information system is WiserCat OÜ.
A technological audit of the EIS has already been conducted, and system development is ongoing.
Challenges and system adjustments
Last year, the EIS was repeatedly plagued by bugs and issues, to the extent that high schools in Tallinn and Harju County had to cancel issuing their joint exam results via the platform.
Problems also occurred during the Estonian language trial exam.
Then in the fall, technical difficulties arose in some schools during the fourth-grade Russian language standardized test.
An audit conducted last spring revealed that instead of further developing the EIS, it would be better to create a new system from scratch, although this will take time.
E-exams are expected to make the continuation of students' learning paths smoother, so basic school graduates will not need to take duplicate exams to enter a new level of education.
According to the ministry, the adoption of e-exams will support the reform to extend the mandatory education age, aiming to direct all primary school graduates to the next level of education.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Merili Nael.