Otesalu Gymnasium III

**Otesalu Gymnasium III** (Estian: *Otesalu Gümnaasium III*), often shortened to **OGIII** or simply **III**, is a public gymnasium in Otesalu, Estland. OGII was first established in 1886, amidst a reorganization of the Estian education system.

At its foundation, the school instructed students in a social sciences and literature program, although following the split of this program into two separate programs in 1956, the school began instructing students in solely the social sciences program. The school became coeducational in 1935, after having been founded as an all-boys school. OGIII is largely considered to be one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Estland. It has educated a number of successful figures in Estian politics, business, academia, and foreign affairs.

## Academics

Otesalu Gymnasium III offers only a program in social sciences. In annual rankings of Estian gymnasiums, OGIII is typically ranked as in the Top 5 of the most academically rigorous gymnasiums in the country.

### Scheduling

The school is in session from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, although most students do not maintain a complete full-day schedule. Most students enroll in eight classes per year and four classes per semester; some students opt to take one class a day for four days a week, while others opt for two classes a day for two days a week, or any other combination of this. Typically, registration for the next semester is done at the halfway point in the preceding semester. More senior students receive preference in scheduling. Students entering their *K1* year register for their first semester two weeks before classes begin, typically in late August.

Each class lasts for three hours with 30 minutes being reserved for a break in the middle. Students may schedule their courses any way they wish, and are responsible for incorporating their own meal breaks.

### Curriculum

In line with national education requirements, students focus the majority of their coursework on courses within their program, while also being allowed to enroll in elective courses. National curriculum requirements require that students take 18 classes within their program in order to graduate, while OGIII implements its own curriculum requirements. The school organizes its social sciences faculty into five departments: economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and anthropology and human geography. All students are required to take an introductory course in each of these departments, while the remainder of their 13 program courses may be satisfied in any way they choose. Students typically complete the five introductory courses in their first two semesters of school.

In addition to the 18 courses required to come from within the social sciences program, OGIII requires that its students complete at least four courses in the Ditrovian language. Students may enroll in any other additional courses they choose, be it social sciences courses, Ditrovian language courses, or electives, assuming they are meeting the curriculum requirements.

### Assessments

As the Estian national education curriculum does not mandate nationwide standardized testing, OGIII also does not follow a standardized testing structure. Individual instructors may opt to give their students midterms or final exams, although this is not uniform and is done on a teacher-by-teacher basis. However, all students are required to create a 20-minute presentation on a topic of their choosing, and present it to a panel of teachers within their chosen discipline at the end of their *K3* year. This presentation is done independently, and not as part of a course. Students receive a grade for the presentation separately from their course grades on their final transcript.

OGIII organizes its grading and assessment system in line with the national education standards. Students receive a grade of 0–9 for each of their classes: 0 denotes incomplete work, 1–2 denotes failing to meet expectations, 3–4 denotes meeting expectations, 5–6 denotes exceeding expectations, 7–8 denotes significantly exceeding expectations, and 9 denotes a perfect score. All grades except for a 0 or a 9 may be altered with a minus (–) or plus (+) to further specify where a student falls. If a student receives a grade of 0–2 in a class, they do not receive credit for it. If it is an elective they can retake the class the next year or choose to not receive the credit, but if it is a required class they must retake it during the summer or the following year and receive a grade of 3–9.