Kazakhstan launches pilot teacher certification from September 1, 2026
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Kazakhstan's Ministry of Education will launch a pilot teacher certification system on September 1, 2026, replacing exam scores with a professional digital profile. The pilot runs through December 31, 2026, and applies to teachers who failed or missed the national qualification test. The ministry also announced new assessment methods for grades 2-4 starting the same date.
Key Facts
- The pilot teacher certification system starts September 1, 2026, and runs through December 31, 2026, under Ministry of Education Order No. 159-НҚ dated June 5, 2026.
- The pilot applies to teachers who failed to reach the threshold score on the national qualification test (ПББ) before September 1, 2026, or who registered but did not take the test.
- Under the pilot, the ПББ test result is no longer the main criterion for granting or confirming a qualification category.
- From September 1, 2026, grades 2-4 will use updated assessment methods, with formative assessment retained and its role in quarterly grades strengthened.
- The quarterly summative assessment (СОЧ) for grades 2-4 is abolished starting the 2026-2027 school year, according to the West Kazakhstan Oblast education department.
Pilot Certification Mechanism
The Ministry of Education confirmed that the pilot project is launched by Order No. 159-НҚ of the Minister of Education dated June 5, 2026. The order took effect on August 1, 2026, and remains in force until December 31, 2026, covering the September-December testing period. Certification under the pilot is based on a professional digital profile generated on the national platform 'Ұстаз' (Ustaz). The profile aggregates data on education, work experience, qualification category, professional development courses, professional achievements, results of pedagogical activity monitoring, and student achievements. Within the pilot, teachers are not required to submit essays, author programs, or teaching materials; the focus shifts to daily work quality and concrete professional results.
Assessment Criteria and Eligibility
The attestation commission evaluates the professional digital profile across several key areas: lesson planning and delivery quality, student knowledge quality and progress dynamics, pedagogical monitoring results, and student participation and achievements in olympiads, competitions, and championships. Additional criteria include participation in professional competitions, generalization and dissemination of pedagogical experience, involvement in creative, expert, and working groups and projects, and completion of professional development courses. Failure to reach the threshold score on the first ПББ attempt does not prevent participation in the pilot and does not automatically revoke the teacher's existing qualification category. The pilot includes teachers subject to certification who took ПББ for the first time before September 1, 2026, and did not reach the threshold score for the declared category. It also includes teachers who were registered for ПББ but had not started testing, or who were not registered for ПББ, and are subject to regular or early certification.
Primary School Assessment Changes
First Vice Minister of Education Shynar Akparova stated that the criteria-based assessment system is retained, but updated assessment methods for grades 2-4 are introduced from September 1, 2026. Grade 1 continues without grades, while grades 2-4 keep formative assessment with its role in quarterly grades strengthened. An interim assessment is introduced to determine mastery of learning units. Formative assessment remains on a 1-10 scale; the change mainly clarifies the scoring method. The updated system aims to fairly assess student achievement, accurately reflect knowledge mastery, and strengthen feedback in the learning process.
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Kazakhstan launches pilot teacher certification from September 1, 2026
