Developing and Validating Output-Based Assessment Criteria for Grade 5 Mathematics in Vietnamese Primary Schools: A CIPO- Based Approach

Vietnam’s 2018 General Education Curriculum requires primary schools to assess learners not only in terms of knowledge acquisition, but also in relation to qualities, general competencies, and subject-specific competencies. In mathematics, this shift has created a practical challenge: while policy expectations are relatively clear, schools still lack a coherent and operational set of output-based criteria that can be used consistently in teaching, assessment, and school management. This study aimed to develop and validate a set of assessment criteria for Grade 5 mathematics outcomes in Vietnamese primary schools by grounding the framework in the CIPO model (Context-Input-Process-Output) and aligning it with the 2018 curriculum and Circular 27/2020 on primary student assessment. The study followed a design-and-validation approach. The criteria were developed through curriculum analysis, synthesis of theoretical studies on educational quality and assessment, consultation with experts, and pilot implementation in primary schools in Nghe An province. The final framework comprised three domains: qualities in mathematics learning, general competencies in mathematics learning, and core mathematical competencies. Validation involved expert appraisal and school-based piloting. Across both stages, respondents rated the criteria highly in terms of curricular alignment, scientific coherence, feasibility, ease of use, and ability to differentiate students’ competence levels. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.90 indicated strong internal consistency. The findings suggest that the proposed criteria set is a reliable and practicable tool for outcome-oriented mathematics assessment at the primary level. The study contributes to the literature by operationalizing the “output” component of CIPO in a competency-based mathematics context and by providing a school-usable framework that can support instructional improvement, more transparent assessment, and school-level quality management.