What should a seventh-grader know? Finland tightens rules and minimum achievement standards

From 2028, every Finnish school will use the same answer to a basic question: what should a fifth-, seventh- or ninth-grader know? The country plans to establish clear achievement levels for each grade and subject.

The new system will define what students are expected to achieve. It will also set out what schools must do when a child is struggling, making support obligations part of the same framework as academic expectations.