ABSTRACT
Starting from the assumption that the quality of education is a vital dimension of the quality of life, this chapter deals with the problem of assessing the performance of Soviet school and their teachers and students. This problem has gained prominence in the context of a policy directed toward the realization of universal or compulsory secondary education in the Soviet Union. Questions of schooling concern almost all families with school-age children, and problems arising from school achievement and assessment procedures are among the most tangible in the relationship between the family and the school as an institution that largely determines the career choices of individuals. Given the possibilities for manipulating grading practices, the "holding power" of the Soviet school system seems a more pertinent indicator of the system's performance than the percentage of grade repeaters.
