Education Ministry Clashes With Assessment Authority Over Test Data

Israel's Ministry of Education, under Minister Yoav Kisch, has canceled the national "Mitzav" (educational assessment) exams and banned entry for staff from the National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation (RAMA) into the ministry. RAMA's Director General, Dr. Gal Alon, warned in a letter that these decisions are detrimental to the education system and will have immediate repercussions on the current school year, causing irreparable damage and severe disruption.

The conflict escalated after a review by Professor Ami Moyal, appointed by Kisch himself, concluded that RAMA is a professional body operating at high standards and recommended strengthening cooperation between RAMA and the Ministry of Education. Despite these findings, Kisch's decisions include halting all measurement and evaluation activities, forbidding cooperation with RAMA, and placing the authority under a ministry steering committee, thereby undermining its professional independence.

RAMA's letter details the immediate consequences, such as the cancellation of assessment events, freezing of work orders for test operations, and the suspension of approximately 40 accompanying evaluation studies, including national programs. Furthermore, Israel's participation in international studies like PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS is canceled. RAMA staff are barred from ministry premises, with security reportedly posted to prevent their entry.

RAMA accuses Minister Kisch and his associates of attempting to interfere with research findings and pressure them to alter inconvenient data, particularly concerning the PISA 2025 study. They claim the ministry sought to suppress findings showing sharp declines in Israeli students' achievements, among the steepest in OECD countries. RAMA refused to alter the professional findings, leading to the minister's actions.

The ministry's actions are also seen as a direct contradiction to the Moyal report's recommendations and previous government decisions that affirmed RAMA's independent status. The dispute initially arose after RAMA published test results showing particularly low achievements among Israeli students, with only 3% of ninth graders meeting the ministry's benchmark in science. Kisch had previously questioned the data's reliability, which RAMA defended as professional and transparent.