Reading, writing, arithmetic guarantee has been in effect since the autumn term 2019 and means that students in need in preschool and elementary school should receive the right support at the right time. The idea is that children should have the necessary, basic knowledge before moving on to middle school.
However, the Swedish Schools Inspectorate's follow-ups show that the guarantee is not working as intended. The intention was that more students would receive support, and that did happen initially. But last year, the proportion was lower than before the guarantee was introduced.
Students' performance, measured in results from national tests in year 3, has also deteriorated.
According to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, the reading, writing, arithmetic guarantee appears to have overly complicated regulations. Every third teacher reports that they are not familiar with how the guarantee should be implemented, and many schools lack routines to ensure that the guarantee reaches the right students. This means that students who are on the verge of needing support are not always caught, according to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate's report to the government.
Minister of Education Lotta Edholm (L) comments on the report as "disappointing reading" and continues: "Therefore, we are now investigating how the support system can be improved and strengthened."
The plan is to revise the mapping materials and assessment support used by schools and to test them during the autumn of 2025.
