Israeli Education Minister Cancels National Tests Against Expert Advice
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Education Minister Yoav Kisch has canceled the national "Mitzav" exams and banned NCEA officials from the Ministry of Education, defying a report by Professor Ami Moyal that praised the NCEA and recommended increased cooperation. The decision comes amid a severe crisis and follows the revelation of alarmingly low student performance in science, math, and English. A senior official accused Kisch of creating chaos to avoid confronting the poor results.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Education Minister Yoav Kisch canceled national "Mitzav" exams, defying expert recommendations.
- Professor Ami Moyal's report affirmed the NCEA as professional and recommended strengthening cooperation.
- Kisch also barred NCEA officials from the Ministry of Education, escalating a crisis.
- The decision follows revelations of very low student scores in science, math, and English.
- A senior official accused Kisch of creating chaos to avoid confronting poor results.
- The Moyal report emphasized the need for stable assessment policies and NCEA independence.
Minister of Education Yoav Kisch has decided to cancel the national "Mitzav" (Measures and Evaluation System) exams and has barred officials from the National Institute for Educational Assessment (NCEA) from entering the Ministry of Education. This decision escalates a severe crisis between Kisch and the NCEA.
The move directly contradicts the recommendations of a report by Professor Ami Moyal, which affirmed the NCEA as a professional and thorough body and suggested strengthening cooperation with it. A senior education system official criticized Kisch's actions, stating, "Kisch is acting in complete opposition to Moyal's recommendations." The official further elaborated that Moyal recommended stable assessment policies for at least three years, enhanced coordination mechanisms, and ensuring the NCEA's professional independence, all of which Kisch's decisions appear to disregard.
The Moyal report emphasized the Ministry of Education's need for assessment data to inform decision-making and improve teaching and learning. It also highlighted that the NCEA's director-general is part of the Ministry's management, a point Kisch reportedly ignores. The senior official suggested Kisch's decisions are an attempt to avoid confronting the low test scores revealed by the NCEA, particularly in science, math, and English, which were exposed by N12 in May.
Previously, N12 revealed that only 3% of ninth graders met the required standard in science, with 81% falling far short. Similar low scores were reported in math and English for sixth and ninth graders, respectively. Kisch had previously questioned the reliability of these results and accused the NCEA of attempting to mislead the public. Following the Moyal report's findings, which validated the NCEA's professionalism, Kisch proceeded with canceling the exams and halting the NCEA's activities within the ministry, stating, "We cannot continue to work in a broken manner."
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