Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science
Student progress in mathematics and science, as in other subjects, is monitored by internal and external evaluation systems. The internal evaluation system in schools is administered by school staff, and constitutes the central component of the teaching-learning assessment process. The evaluation is based on schools’ internal tests and assessment of student activities and projects. Student reports are distributed at least twice a year, and student achievement is reported using numerical grades (on a scale up to 100), accompanied by descriptive grades (i.e., Excellent for 95-100, Very Good for 85-95, and so on). Most primary schools use descriptive grades accompanied by written evaluations through the fourth grade.
The National Authority for Measurement and Assessment in Education (known by its Hebrew acronym, RAMA)17 was founded in 2005 to address the need for professional measurement, evaluation, and assessment in the education system. The ideological framework for RAMA’s activities is based on two principles: establishing an assessment for learning, and designing a variety of professional solutions that integrate different components of measurement and assessment. The format of Israel’s national assessment system (known as Meitzav18, the Hebrew acronym for GEMS, which stands for the Growth and Efficiency Measures of Schools) integrates internal and external assessment, and promotes a culture of “measurement for learning.” Meitzav is intended to support the continual improvement of learning through the alignment of learning goals with school vision and is based on the premise that test results are not a goal in themselves but rather an instrument for improving learning outcomes.
Meitzav includes student achievement tests and questionnaires regarding school climate and pedagogical setting (administered to principals, teachers, and students). At the school level, the system is designed to serve principals and teaching staff as a tool for planning and allocating resources, for realizing student potential, for improving the pedagogical climate, and for enhancing the school instructional system. At the national level, Meitzav is designed to provide a picture of student achievement in the four core subjects, and to inform policy on various educational issues, including climate and pedagogical setting.
The Meitzav achievement tests focus on the four core subjects of Mathematics, Native Language (Hebrew or Arabic), English, and Science and Technology. The assessments are administered to students at the fifth and eighth grade levels and are designed to measure students against the standards set forth in the national curricula. The Meitzav assessment system and test format were reviewed during a one year hiatus from administering the test, and in 2015, a new cycle of testing was launched. The Meitzav tests now are administered over a three year cycle in which one-third of schools are tested externally (External Meitzav) each year. When schools are not tested externally, they administer the same test forms internally (Internal Meitzav) that are administered in the External Meitzav for that particular year.
Matriculation examinations (Bagrut)19 are regarded as the official tests for measuring the results of the 13 years of compulsory schooling in Israel. The examination process is governed by the Ministry of Education and creates a standard measure of student knowledge throughout the country. The option to participate in the matriculation examinations is open to every high school student. These high stakes examinations, taken in three stages at the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, cover all subject areas taught in secondary school, and typically are used to determine access to higher education.
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 study for each subject is reflected in the corresponding matriculation examination in terms of learning units. Each learning unit represents approximately 90 hours of study in an academic year, and the number of units for each subject ranges from 1 to 5. A matriculation certificate is awarded to students who are tested in at least 21 learning units in core subjects and at least 5 learning units in one elective subject (as stipulated in the national criteria). A student’s final grade in each subject comprises the average of his or her school examination results (which determine the student’s yearly grade) and state examination results. Students whose combination of subjects does not qualify them for a matriculation certificate are awarded a school final certificate. The examination levels are structured in a modular fashion, allowing students to progress from a lower examination level to a higher one, or to repeat a test in order to improve the grade. Students who graduate with a school final certificate may go on to complete the required examinations and obtain a matriculation certificate after graduation.
Mathematics and English as a Foreign Language are core compulsory subjects. In these subjects there are three levels of study, each comprising 3, 4, or 5 learning units. (The advanced levels comprise 4 or 5 learning units, while the basic level comprises 3 learning units.) In the Hebrew sector, Hebrew language (grammar and writing), literature, and Bible studies, and history (usually studied at a basic level of 2 learning units each) are compulsory, in addition to civics (1 learning unit). In the Arab sector, the equivalent compulsory subjects are Arabic language (grammar and literature) and history (2 learning units each), civics (1 learning unit), and Hebrew language (2 learning units or higher).
There are more than 50 compulsory elective subjects, representing a variety of learning domains, to accommodate the wide range of abilities and interests among students. The subjects are taken from the disciplines of science and technology, the humanities (including Hebrew language and literature for the Jewish sector, and Arabic and Hebrew languages for the Arab sector), social sciences, and the arts. Students must complete 5 learning units in at least one of these subjects in order to obtain a matriculation certificate. The science and technology disciplines comprise physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences, environmental sciences, agriculture, biotechnology, and computer sciences. Laboratory examinations constitute part of the 5 learning units in most of these science majors. Students can choose to specialize in any core subject and take the corresponding matriculation examination at the highest level of 5 learning units. Since 2015, it has been compulsory for students who do not major in at least one scientific discipline to complete science and technology studies at the basic level (1 learning unit).