Education Ministry's Assessment Exams Cancellation Threatens School Year
Translated & summarized from Panet by baba
Israel's National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAMA) warned that Education Minister Yoav Kisch's cancellation of assessment exams and ban on its staff from ministry offices threatens the current school year. The dispute arose after RAMA released results showing declining student achievement, which the ministry allegedly tried to suppress. RAMA claims Kisch interfered with research findings and data, while Kisch's office accused RAMA of leaking data and a misleading campaign. A review commissioned by Kisch himself, however, affirmed RAMA's professional standards and recommended its independence.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel's education assessment authority warned of severe damage to the school year due to the education minister's actions.
- Minister Yoav Kisch canceled assessment exams and barred authority staff from ministry offices.
- The dispute centers on declining student achievement results that the ministry allegedly tried to suppress.
- RAMA claims repeated attempts by the minister to interfere with and alter research findings.
- Israel's participation in international studies like PISA and TIMSS has been halted.
- A review commissioned by the minister himself validated the authority's professional standards.
Israel's National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAMA) has warned that Minister of Education Yoav Kisch's decision to cancel assessment exams and bar authority staff from ministry offices could severely damage the education system and immediately impact the current school year. RAMA's Director General, Dr. Gal Alon, stated in a letter to the Ministry of Education's legal counsel that the minister's actions risk irreparable harm and serious disruption to education. These developments stem from a sharp dispute between Kisch and RAMA following the release of exam results showing a significant decline in Israeli students' academic achievements. A review by Professor Ami Moyal, commissioned by Kisch himself, found RAMA operates at high professional standards and recommended strengthening its independence and cooperation with the ministry.
Kisch has ordered an immediate halt to all exams and surveys, freezing contracts for test administration and data processing, and suspending approximately 40 evaluation studies linked to educational programs. Israel's participation in international studies like PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS has also been stopped. Furthermore, ministry employees are forbidden from cooperating with RAMA, and RAMA staff are barred from ministry offices, with guards reportedly posted at meeting entrances to prevent researchers from entering. RAMA cautioned that these measures could disrupt the upcoming November 2026 math exam for ninth graders if preparatory work doesn't resume within days.
The authority claims Minister Kisch and his associates have repeatedly tried to interfere with research findings and alter data that contradicted their views. This conflict reportedly peaked during the preparation of PISA 2025 results, where RAMA alleges it was pressured to remove a key finding indicating that the decline in Israeli students' performance was among the steepest in OECD countries. RAMA refused, and in response, Kisch allegedly ordered staff to be prevented from presenting data, exerted pressure through intermediaries, and directed the ministry to release partial data without the full report. Similar attempts to influence results and downplay academic decline were reportedly made during the TIMSS 2023 study and the 2025 "Tachlit" exams.
The dispute intensified after exam results revealed low student achievement levels. Media reports in May indicated Kisch attempted to block the publication of data showing only 3% of ninth graders met the ministry's science standard, with 81% falling short. In math, only 37% of sixth graders met the required level, and just 22% of ninth graders reached the standard in English. Kisch questioned the data's reliability, with his office citing serious concerns about accuracy and the inability to rely on it before further examination. His office also accused RAMA of illegally leaking data and conducting a misleading media campaign. However, Professor Moyal's review, initiated by Kisch, validated RAMA's exams as reliable and professionally sound, recommending the preservation of its independence.
Mentioned
