> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Charter Schools Demand Universal Basic Skills Tests - URL: https://barna.news/charter-schools-demand-universal-basic/ - Published: 2026-09-03T04:38:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-03T04:38:04.000Z - Description: Subsidised schools in Catalonia are calling for basic skills assessments to be reinstated across all educational centres after the PISA testing error. - Author: Laia Serra - Tags: education ## FECC Pushes for Nationwide Testing Amid PISA Data Gap The Catalan Christian School Foundation (FECC), representing two-thirds of the region’s subsidised schools, has called for the reinstatement of end-of-stage competency tests in all educational centres. This demand comes after Catalonia’s PISA 2025 results were invalidated due to an over-exclusion of students, making comparisons with other regions and prior years impossible. Meritxell Ruiz, general secretary of the FECC, stated that basic skills assessments are a "very useful and valuable" tool for schools and should be accessible to all, not just a sample. The foundation argues that census-based testing, administered to every student, provides both statistical and pedagogical validity, helping schools track student progress and refine teaching strategies. --- ## Shift to Sample-Based Testing Sparks Debate Since the 2025–26 academic year, the Catalan Department of Education has moved away from universal testing. Instead, end-of-stage assessments, formerly known as basic competencies, are now administered to a representative sample of around 70 schools. According to Núria Planas, director of the Agency for Evaluation and Foresight of Education, this change ensures "scientific representativeness" and aligns with international standards. The new tests, taken by approximately 5,700 4th-year ESO students, assess Catalan, Spanish, English, mathematics, and science, technology, and engineering. Questions are designed to measure analytical ability and excellence, with nearly 20% considered cognitively demanding. Results are expected by autumn after a six-month analysis period. > "At a time when Catalonia will not be able to have PISA results fully comparable with previous editions, we have the basic competencies tests, and it is necessary to preserve the assessment tools that offer continuity." Meritxell Ruiz, FECC General Secretary The FECC maintains that without full-scale testing, schools lose vital data for improvement. The foundation has already submitted its request to the Education Department, urging a return to census-based assessments to maintain educational oversight during a period of unreliable international benchmarking. --- ## 244,000 Students in Subsidised Schools Enter New Term This academic year, 378 subsidised Christian schools across Catalonia, 313 in Barcelona province, will open on 8 September, educating 244,327 students from early childhood to secondary education. These centres operate independently of the public education strike called for the same day by the Educational Assembly of Catalonia. The network employs 19,145 teachers and 3,882 administrative and service staff. The schools are also beginning to implement a funding agreement signed with the Catalan government on 10 March, which allocates €390 million by 2030 to address historic underfunding in socially initiated centres. --- *Reported by beteve.cat, en.ara.cat, barna.news, ARA, Marta Puig i Vidal, betevé.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [USTEC keeps 8 September school-day strike in Catalonia](https://barna.news/ustec-keeps-8-september-school-day/) - [Catalonia dismisses education secretary after PISA error](https://barna.news/catalonia-dismisses-education-secretary/) - [New Schools Open and Expand in Barcelona for 2026–27](https://barna.news/new-schools-open-and-expand-in/) - [Catalonia Starts School Year with Record Support for Students](https://barna.news/catalonia-starts-school-year-with/)