The Ministry of Education has introduced a new standardized proficiency test under the national testing framework to evaluate essential skills in core subjects for students in grades 4 to 11 in public schools.
This test is designed to gauge students’ vital skills and highlight areas for improvement, focusing on core subjects like Arabic, mathematics, and English. Initially, around 26,000 students will participate in the first phase.
“This initiative is centered on evaluating students’ core competencies and pinpointing weaknesses. It empowers teachers to bridge learning gaps and gives the Ministry a thorough understanding of students’ proficiency in these critical subjects.
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Tests are scheduled at the start of the first semester and the end of the third semester, allowing for data-driven, effective interventions,” stated Amna Al Saleh, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Curriculum and Assessment Sector at the Ministry, during a press conference on Tuesday discussing the 2025-26 academic year preparations.
Updated Assessment Weighting
Amna Al Saleh elaborated on the new assessment weightings for 2025-26:
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Grades 1–2: Evaluations will be entirely school-based, considering the unique developmental traits of early education.
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Grade 3: Assessments will be split evenly between school-based and centralized assessments (50% each). Term weightings will allocate 35% to the first and third terms, with a lesser weight for the second term due to its shorter span.
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Cycle 2: Assessment distribution will consist of 50% centralized tests, 40% formative assessments, and 10% activity-based evaluation. Term weightings will be evenly distributed, with 35% for the first and third terms and 30% for the second term.
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Cycle 3: Focus will be mainly on centralized assessments (60%). Term weightings will assign 40% to the first and third terms and 20% to the second term.
Project-Based Learning and Assessment (PBLA)
The conference emphasized the rollout of the second phase of the PBLA system, now including all second-cycle students in both public and private schools following the Ministry’s curriculum. This follows the successful first phase, which involved 127,500 students across 350 schools.
These updates aim to deliver a clear, data-driven insight into student performance at all levels, enabling both educators and the Ministry to apply targeted interventions and effectively support students’ educational journeys.
Centralized tests at the end of the second semester have been replaced with summative school-based assessments, continuing centralized testing only in the first and third semesters. This revised system seeks to refine the school calendar, diversify assessment methods, enhance teaching quality, promote student well-being, and adjust class weightings to align with updated educational policies.
