Monitoring Student Progress in Reading
Reading assessment is carried out using school‑based and external tests. School‑based assessments consist of specific formative and summative tasks chosen by teachers, while external examinations of a national sample of students regularly test different subject areas of the curriculum in depth. The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (known by its Hebrew acronym, RAMA) addresses the need for professional measurement, evaluation, and assessment in the education system.9 In 2007, RAMA designed a new format of Israel’s national assessment (Meitzav, the Hebrew acronym for “Growth and Efficiency Measures of Schools”)—originally ratified in 2002—in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, school principals, and teachers.10 The new format integrates internal and external assessment, and uses measurement techniques that are intended to support ongoing improvement of learning by aligning learning goals with the school vision. This is done with the understanding that tests are not a goal in and of themselves, but rather are an instrument for learning.
Meitzav, designed to measure students against the standards set forth in the national curricula, includes student achievement tests and questionnaires administered to principals, teachers, and students regarding school climate and the pedagogical setting. As of 2015, students in Grades 5 and 8 take the external Meitzav every three years in mathematics, first language (Hebrew or Arabic), and English. Students in Grade 8 also are tested in science and technology. The external Meitzav illustrates student achievement at the system level and informs the Ministry and other decision making bodies about educational policy issues such as school climate and pedagogical setting. The internal Meitzav, which is administered in the intervening years, provides information to principals and teachers at the individual school level to help them plan and allocate resources, realize student potential, improve the pedagogical climate, and enhance the instructional system.
The matriculation examination (Bagrut) is the official test to measure the results of the 13 years of compulsory schooling in Israel.11 Administered by the Ministry of Education, this high stakes examination serves as a standard measure of students’ knowledge throughout the country. All high school students have the option of taking the Bagrut test in three stages from Grades 10 to 12. The test covers all of the subject areas taught in secondary school and often is used to determine acceptance into higher education programs.
The subjects studied in Grades 10 to 12 are divided into core subjects and elective subjects, both of which are compulsory. The depth and scope of the study of each subject is represented in matriculation examinations as “learning units.ˮ Each learning unit involves approximately 90 hours of study per academic year, and the number of units for different subjects ranges from one to five. Based on national criteria, a Matriculation Certificate is awarded to students who are tested in at least 21 learning units of compulsory core subjects and at least one compulsory elective subject at a level of five learning units. The final grade obtained in a subject is a combination of students’ average grades on school examinations (upon which the yearly grade is based) and the grade obtained on the state examination. Students whose combination of subjects does not render them eligible for a Matriculation Certificate are awarded a School Final Certificate. Many of the examination levels are structured in a modular fashion, making it possible for students to progress from a lower examination level to a higher one, or to repeat a test to improve their grade. Students who graduate with a School Final Certificate may complete the required examinations to acquire a Matriculation Certificate after graduation.
Mathematics and English as a Foreign Language are core compulsory subjects. These subjects comprise three levels of study calculated as three, four, or five learning units. Classes consisting of four or five learning units are considered advanced levels, while basic level classes consist of three learning units. In the Hebrew sector, Hebrew language (grammar and writing), literature, Bible studies, history, and civics are mandatory. The equivalent mandatory subjects in the Arab sector are Arabic language (grammar and literature), history, civics, and Hebrew language.
Students pursuing higher education may choose from more than 50 elective subjects in which to major, representing a variety of learning domains that complement students’ different abilities and interests. These subjects fall within the disciplines of science, the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. Students aiming to obtain a Matriculation Certificate must take five learning units in at least one of these subjects. Hebrew language literature for the Jewish sector and Arabic and Hebrew languages for the Arab sector are among the compulsory elective subjects in which students may choose to major.