Israeli Education Minister Cancels National Tests Amid Professional Dispute
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
Education Minister Yoav Kisch has canceled national "Mitzav" assessment tests and banned personnel from the National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAA"M) from the ministry. This decision overrides a report by Professor Ami Moyal, which praised RAA"M's professionalism and recommended strengthening cooperation. The move follows a dispute over low student test scores, which Kisch had previously sought to suppress. Critics argue Kisch's actions create chaos and avoid confronting poor academic results.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Education Minister Yoav Kisch canceled national "Mitzav" tests and barred RAA"M personnel from the ministry.
- A review by Professor Ami Moyal found RAA"M to be professional and recommended increased cooperation.
- Kisch's decision contradicts Moyal's recommendations for stable policy, coordination, and RAA"M's independence.
- The dispute arose after test results showed only 3% of ninth graders met the science benchmark.
- Critics accuse Kisch of creating chaos and avoiding difficult academic results before elections.
Israeli Minister of Education Yoav Kisch has decided to cancel the national matriculation assessment tests, known as "Mitzav" tests, and has barred personnel from the National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAA"M) from entering the Ministry of Education. This decision follows a severe crisis between the minister and the authority, despite a review by Professor Ami Moyal that affirmed RAA"M as a professional body operating at high standards and recommended strengthening cooperation between it and the ministry.
The minister's move directly contradicts several key recommendations from Moyal's report. Moyal had advised establishing a stable measurement and evaluation policy for at least three years, enhancing coordination mechanisms between the ministry and RAA"M, and ensuring the authority's professional independence. The report emphasized the ministry's need for measurement and evaluation data to inform decision-making and improve teaching and learning.
A senior figure in the education system criticized Kisch's actions, stating they are in complete opposition to Moyal's findings. This source argued that Moyal called for continuity in measurement and cooperation, while Kisch is creating chaos by canceling tests and forbidding ministry staff from working with RAA"M. The source also noted that Kisch refuses to include the CEO of RAA"M in ministry management meetings, contrary to the report's findings that the CEO is part of the ministry's management.
The conflict escalated after the publication of test results showing particularly low achievement among Israeli students. In May, it was revealed that Kisch attempted to prevent the public release of this data. The results indicated that only 3% of ninth-grade students met the ministry's benchmark in science, with significant shortfalls also observed in mathematics and English for other grade levels.
Kisch had previously questioned the reliability of these results and blamed RAA"M. His office expressed concerns about the validity of the findings and accused RAA"M of misleading the public. Following the Moyal report's positive assessment of RAA"M and its recommendation for increased cooperation, Kisch ultimately decided to cancel the tests and halt RAA"M's activities within the ministry, stating that the current working methods are "broken."