Assessment and Grading under Lgr22

Rationale

Lgr22, in force since autumn 2022, renamed the former kunskapskrav to betygskriterier and softened the sharp D-A grade boundaries to allow a holistic professional judgement. This is the most practice-changing recent curriculum reform in Swedish compulsory schooling. Grading is also a right reserved to certified teachers under Skollagen, and the professionsprogram's subject-didactics merit area explicitly includes assessment competence. A course that builds deep, defensible grading practice grounded in the new criteria serves both the individual teacher's professional development and the provider's duty to maintain equivalent standards.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. What Lgr22 changed and why

Participants examine the 2022 curriculum reform in outline, focusing on the structural and philosophical shifts from the previous curriculum. The lesson traces the reform's rationale: reducing over-specification in knowledge requirements, restoring professional judgement, and aligning assessment more closely with syllabus content and purpose. Participants read the Skolverket reform overview and the introductory chapters of Lgr22, then discuss how the changes affect their own subject teams. By the end of the lesson, participants can articulate the three main changes Lgr22 introduced to assessment and grading and can explain why the reform was undertaken.

Lesson 2. From kunskapskrav to betygskriterier

Participants compare the former kunskapskrav with the current betygskriterien in their own subjects, reading the renamed, less detailed criteria side by side. The lesson examines how the new criteria describe expected knowledge without prescribing exhaustive detail, and how this shift places greater interpretive responsibility on the teacher. Participants practise identifying the core knowledge each criterion targets and discuss what the removal of sub-criteria means for planning and assessment. By the end of the lesson, participants can read a betygskriterium, identify its central demand, and distinguish it from the older kunskapskrav structure.

Lesson 3. The holistic professional judgement

Participants study the softened D-A grade boundaries and the requirement to set the best-matching grade based on an overall judgement of the pupil's knowledge. The lesson introduces the concept of holistic assessment: weighing strengths and weaknesses across the criteria rather than counting ticks. Participants work through sample pupil profiles and practise assigning a grade using the holistic model, discussing borderline cases and the reasoning that supports a defensible decision. By the end of the lesson, participants can apply the holistic judgement model to a set of pupil evidence and justify the grade assigned.

Lesson 4. Aligning teaching to syllabus purpose and content

Participants examine the relationship between the syllabus's purpose statement (syfte), its central content (centralt innehåll), and the betygskriterier. The lesson argues that valid assessment begins with teaching that is deliberately designed from the syllabus, not from a test or textbook. Participants map a unit of their own teaching to the relevant syllabus sections and identify gaps or misalignments. By the end of the lesson, participants can design a teaching sequence that is demonstrably aligned to the syllabus and therefore provides a valid basis for assessment.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Formative assessment for learning

Participants study the role of formative feedback in moving pupils toward the betygskriterier. The lesson draws on the Lgr22 expectation that assessment supports learning, not only certifies it. Participants practise giving feedback that is specific, criteria-referenced, and actionable, and they discuss how to build pupil self-assessment into classroom routines. The lesson also addresses the tension between formative and summative purposes and how to manage both in the same classroom. By the end of the lesson, participants can design a formative feedback routine that is explicitly linked to the betygskriterier.

Lesson 6. Building valid assessment tasks

Participants learn the principles of task validity: an assessment task must actually evidence the knowledge described in the betygskriterium. The lesson examines common validity problems such as tasks that test reading speed rather than subject knowledge, or tasks that require skills not taught. Participants critique sample tasks from their own subjects and redesign them to improve validity. By the end of the lesson, participants can construct or select an assessment task that provides valid evidence for a specific betygskriterium.

Lesson 7. National tests and their role

Participants examine the function of national tests (nationella prov) in the grading system. The lesson clarifies that national tests inform but do not dictate the grade, and that the teacher's professional judgement remains decisive. Participants read the Skolverket rules on national-test administration and discuss how to use test results alongside other evidence. The lesson also addresses the test's role in supporting equivalence across schools. By the end of the lesson, participants can explain the legal and pedagogical relationship between national-test results and the final grade.

Lesson 8. Documenting the basis for a grade

Participants learn what constitutes an adequate evidence trail for a grade. The lesson covers the types of documentation that withstand scrutiny from the principal, the Inspectorate, and a potential grade appeal. Participants examine sample documentation and identify strengths and weaknesses. The lesson also addresses the balance between thorough documentation and manageable workload. By the end of the lesson, participants can maintain a documentation system that records the basis for each grade in a way that is both defensible and practical.

Lesson 9. Equivalent and fair grading

Participants study the requirement for equivalence (likvärdighet) in grading across teachers, classes, and schools. The lesson examines sources of bias and inconsistency, including unconscious bias, differing interpretations of criteria, and variation in task difficulty. Participants practise calibrating their judgement against sample pupil work and discuss strategies for reducing between-teacher variation. By the end of the lesson, participants can identify potential sources of inequivalence in their own grading practice and apply strategies to reduce them.

Lesson 10. Grading pupils with support needs

Participants examine how special support (särskilt stöd) and extra adaptations (extra anpassningar) interact with the betygskriterier. The lesson clarifies that the criteria are the same for all pupils, but the teaching and assessment conditions may be adapted. Participants study Skolverket guidance on grading pupils with support needs and discuss case examples involving reading support, extended time, and alternative task formats. By the end of the lesson, participants can grade a pupil receiving support in a way that is fair, legally sound, and consistent with the criteria.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Grading multilingual pupils

Participants study the specific considerations for grading pupils who are learning Swedish as a second language. The lesson examines the Swedish as a second language (SVA) syllabus and its relationship to the Swedish syllabus, including when a pupil should be graded in SVA rather than Swedish. Participants discuss how to distinguish language proficiency from subject knowledge and how to avoid penalising a pupil for developing language. By the end of the lesson, participants can make a defensible decision about which syllabus applies and can grade a multilingual pupil fairly.

Lesson 12. The right to set grades

Participants examine the legal provisions that reserve grade-setting to certified teachers. The lesson covers the certification requirement, the rules for co-signing grades, and the consequences of setting grades without the required certification. Participants read the relevant Skollagen provisions and discuss scenarios involving team teaching, substitute teachers, and newly qualified teachers. By the end of the lesson, participants can identify when they are legally entitled to set a grade and when a co-signature or referral is required.

Lesson 13. Communicating grades to pupils and guardians

Participants practise explaining a grade in a transparent, criteria-referenced way to pupils and guardians. The lesson covers the developmental conversation (utvecklingssamtal), the written assessment (skriftligt omdöme), and the grade notification. Participants role-play conversations in which a guardian questions a grade and practise responding with evidence and reasoning. By the end of the lesson, participants can communicate a grade in a way that is clear, respectful, and grounded in the betygskriterier.

Lesson 14. Moderation and subject-team calibration

Participants learn how collegial moderation can stabilise grading standards within a subject team. The lesson introduces moderation protocols: blind marking, discussion of discrepancies, and agreement on shared interpretations. Participants moderate a set of anonymised pupil work from their own subject and discuss how to build a regular moderation routine into the school calendar. By the end of the lesson, participants can participate in a subject-team moderation session and contribute to a shared standard.

Lesson 15. Grading as merit-bearing didactics

Participants connect their assessment practice to the professionsprogram's subject-didactics merit area. The lesson reviews the merit-level thresholds from Förordning (2025:280) and explains how study in assessment and grading can count toward the required credits. Participants map their own professional learning in this course to the merit-bearing area and plan next steps for further study or portfolio building. By the end of the lesson, participants can articulate how their deepened assessment competence contributes to a professionsprogram merit application.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.