Streefcijfer

Streefcijfer is a Dutch term used in education to denote a target or aspirational grade that a student or teacher sets for a given course, term, or assessment period. The word combines streef, meaning to strive for or target, with cijfer, meaning grade or score. Unlike a set final grade, a streefcijfer is not an official measure; it functions as a planning and motivational instrument that helps shape study plans, workload, and assessment strategy.

In practice, a streefcijfer may be established at the start of a course or after interim assessments. It may be written in study plans, counseling notes, or progress reports, and is sometimes revised as the semester progresses. For example, a student might set a streefcijfer of 7.5 on a 1–10 scale, with milestones to reach in exams or assignments. Teachers may reference the streefcijfer when discussing goals and providing feedback, but it remains separate from mandatory passing grades, which depend on official results.

The concept is used in the Netherlands and Flemish regions of Belgium, though its prevalence and exact usage vary by school and program. Some institutions prefer to use explicit targets expressed as letters or percentages, while others treat streefcijfer as a common, informal planning term.

See also: doelcijfer, target grade, academic planning.