Academic grading in Croatia

In Croatia the following official grade scale applies to elementary school, high school and university students: The grade 1 () is a failing grade, while grades 2 through 5 are passing grades. Many teachers use minus and plus symbols as grade modifiers. For example, "−5" denotes a grade slightly lower than "excellent", while "+4" denotes a grade slightly higher than "very good". Half-grades such as "4/5" are also used. These modifiers are unofficial and do not appear in final grade reports. ==Conduct grading==

Conduct () is graded on a 3-point descriptive scale: • Poor () • Good () • Exemplary () In practice, most students receive "exemplary" conduct grades. Conduct grade does not count towards the grade point average. ==Grade point average==

Grade point average (GPA) is calculated as the arithmetic mean of all numerical grades: • 1.00–1.99 Insufficient • 2.00–2.49 Sufficient • 2.50–3.49 Good • 3.50–4.49 Very good • 4.50–5.00 Excellent ==Grade inflation==

A significant grade inflation has been observed in primary education and, to a lesser degree, in secondary education. In the 2008/09 school year, almost 168,000 out of 365,000 elementary school students were graded "excellent" by their grade point average. Parent pressure on teachers has been identified as a major cause. In the school year 2023/2024, 46% of elementary school students passed with a GPA in the range of "excellent". Although the country has seen a drop in students passing with a GPA of 5.0, the steady increase of high-grade students has put pressure on more prestigious highschools (especially in the capital of Zagreb) to further restrict enrollment by introducing preliminary exams. A national exam was introduced in 2022 for all students to take in year 8, throughout March. These exams were then expanded to include year 4 students in 2024. Although national exams have been viewed as a solution to grade inflation, the exams do not impact grade averages or highschool enrollment as of 2024, which they have been criticised for by teachers. == References ==