Language and mathematics: the urgent need to improve

166,000 students in 6th grade of primary school and 4th year of secondary school will be taking the exams in the next few days basic skills tests to check the level of knowledge in Catalan schools. Along with the PISA tests, they are the main indicator we have. They assess languages (Catalan, Spanish, and English), mathematics, and science and technology content. After the post-pandemic declines, there was a slight recovery in 2022, except for Catalan, which has seen three consecutive years of decline and is at its lowest level since 2012. If the negative trend affecting it were to be confirmed this year, Catalan would fail for the first time. However, the worst position is that of mathematics, which has not passed the minimum required threshold for four years, although it has seen an improvement for two.

In fact, in a scenario of continuity, a further decline in the level of Catalan and a further increase in that of mathematics would place both skills in a fail grade along with a pass grade. But, naturally, the aspiration would be for the improvement in mathematics to continue and for Catalan to see a change in trend and an upward trend. In the context of a sharp decline in the social use of Catalan, particularly among young people, the results of these tests will be critical in providing a glimmer of hope or decisively entering the ICU. Without a doubt, in language—and also in mathematics—we have an urgent need to improve.

Proficiency tests aren't everything, of course. But they are one of the forms of measurement we have equipped ourselves with. They can't be turned into the Bible, nor can they be neglected. They are a thermometer, a tool to know where we are and, therefore, to decide what we should do. Of course, in terms of basic knowledge, we socially need an injection of optimism: to motivate students and teachers, to reassure families, and to calm the debate around education, which has been tense and strained for too long. To build a positive educational climate.

Language and mathematics are the two basic competencies on which all other knowledge hinges. They are the toolbox from which our brains can be filled. Without good reading comprehension and writing, without fluent and rich oral expression, no solid knowledge can be built. And the same applies to the other major competency: without essential mathematical skills, you won't get anywhere either. That's why these tests focus on languages and mathematics, accompanied, the latter, by science and technology.

The challenge that children and girls, and through them, teachers, are facing these days is important. Families must be clear about this. It shouldn't be seen or experienced as a mere formality. Nor should the ordeal become anguish or stress: it's about using it to raise the bar of demands and ambition. If the tests are passed with good grades, everyone, starting with the students, will receive a much-welcomed boost of self-esteem.