According to laws on upper secondary schools the annual school period for students should not be shorter than 9 months; thereof should teaching days not be fewer than 145. According to information from the upper secondary schools there were between 142 and 149 full-time teaching days during the school year 2005-2006. The average number of full-time teaching days was 146, which is one day more than during the previous school year but the same number of days as in 2003-2004. In addition the number of other teaching days was between 0 and 8 (with one exception), or 2 on the average. On average there were 2 more full-time teaching days for pupils in the spring than in the autumn semester.
There were between 12 and 31 days that were only used for examination and assessment in the upper secondary schools. The two schools teaching home economics stand out with 12 and 13 days used for exams, since in these schools exams and assessment often takes place during teaching days. In other schools at least 23 days are used for examinations and assessment. On average 27 days were used for examinations and assessment, which is 1 day more than during the previous school year. In some cases students in the last year in schools using a grade system get fewer full-time teaching days than younger students but more examination days instead.
A clause in a regulation on the operation of upper secondary schools states that the number of teaching and examination days should not be fewer than 175. In 12 schools there were fewer than 175 teaching and examination days, but were 16 schools in the previous school year.
Teachers’ wage contracts presume a total of 175 teaching and examination days during the 9 month school period, and 4 additional working days outside of the 9 month school period. The total number of teachers’ working days in 2005-2006 turned out to be between 174 and 187. The average number of all teachers’ working days was 180, the same as in 2004-2005. Thereof 177 days, on average, were during the annual school period.
The data collection indicates that 20 upper secondary schools have a special education department.
According to information from the schools 6 schools operate according to a grade system and 28 schools have a unit-credit system.
Information on the number of teaching days, examination days and other teachers’ working days was obtained from 34 upper secondary schools. Two schools, Menntaskólinn Hraðbraut and Snyrtiskólinn operate according to a three semester system and are not included in the averages above.