Nobody scrapped the 3, 4 and 5 grades: how the 100-point quarterly mark really works

A message claiming that schools are "introducing a new 100-point grading system" and that grades of 3, 4 and 5 are gone is circulating in messengers. The formula it quotes is correct; its conclusions are not. Criteria-based assessment has been running in Uzbekistan since 2023, covers roughly half of all schools, and keeps the familiar grades. Here is the picture according to Gazeta.uz, UzA and statements from the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

What makes up the 100 points

In schools using criteria-based assessment, a pupil's quarterly result comes from three parts:

• 10 points — formative assessment. Everyday classroom work: the teacher tracks how the material is being absorbed and lets pupils correct mistakes.
• 50 points — section summative assessment. Tests on each topic or chapter covered.
• 40 points — quarterly summative assessment. The final paper covering the whole quarter.

Tasks are split into three levels: recalling knowledge, applying it, and reasoning. The point of the reform is to test understanding and practical application rather than memorisation.

The mark in the record book stays the same

This is what the viral message distorts most. Points earned over the quarter are converted into an ordinary grade: roughly 86 and above is a "5", about 65–85 a "4", 30–64 a "3", and below 30 a "2". Nobody has abandoned the five-point scale — only the way it is calculated has changed.

What it means for parents

The system is not new: it launched in September 2023 in 500 schools and has been expanded in waves. From the 2026/2027 school year another 1,568 schools joined, taking the total past 5,000 — about half of the country's 10,000-plus state schools. The rest still use the ordinary five-point system, so "rolled out to every school" is wrong. The most reliable way to find out how a particular school grades is to ask the school itself: classes on the new system keep their electronic register in criteria-based mode.

The system's weak spots are worth knowing too. In 2024 parents and teachers complained about the sheer number of tests, assessment papers leaking online, and the maximum score being cut for retakes. The ministry replied that the system is built on international practice and said it does not plan to return to the old five-point scale.

Sources: Gazeta.uz, UzA, Anhor.uz, Nuz.uz, data from the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.