The Minister of Education, Sarah Al Amiri, said that the Ministry will work on evaluating the experience of replacing the end-of-second-semester exams for students in grades five to eight with practical projects that the student completes throughout the semester, in order to apply them in the various educational stages, noting that the Ministry has increased the weight of the formative assessment for grades five to 12 to 40% instead of 30%, and reduced the weight of the central exam from 70% to 60%.
The application of project-based learning and teaching comes in line with the Ministry’s mission to apply modern educational methods and empower school leaders, teachers and students. Therefore, the weight of the school evaluation and the grade were updated, in addition to introducing project-based evaluation for second-cycle students.
Sarah Al Amiri explained, during a press conference recently organised by the ministry to announce its preparations for the new academic year, that continuous evaluation is a culture that needs to be gradually instilled, and that no radical changes will occur to it.
She added: “We started reducing the percentage of central exams from 70% to 60%, while increasing the percentage of year-long work from 30% to 40%, and the percentages between semesters based on educational outcomes to give the student the weight of the grade based on what he learned and the days of schooling.”
She said, “The projects will provide students with the opportunity to showcase their abilities and creativity through group or individual work, which will help them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We believe that this new approach will contribute to improving the quality of education and enhance students’ connection to the academic subjects.”
Al Amiri added: “The existence of an alternative project for a full exam in a full semester has not been implemented at any stage in government schools before, and it will be implemented in the second stage to ensure the readiness of all educational cadres, in addition to the readiness of schools to use this assessment tool. After testing the experiment and studying its impact, in addition to studying changing the mechanism of central exams, consideration will be given to how to apply it in the different educational stages, and how to instill it as one of the main methods of education.”
Al-Amiri stressed that the central exam alone does not measure all the main skills of the student, nor does it measure his knowledge and understanding of the main subjects, noting that the transition in the evaluation system must be in a precise, gradual and practical manner, and based on data and evaluation of all steps.
These updates aim to develop assessment practices to include skill enhancement, provide new opportunities for students to demonstrate academic growth and progress, close learning gaps, and compensate for learning loss.
As well as developing and updating various educational methods and practices, with the aim of supporting the teaching and learning process, enhancing positive attitudes towards learning, time management and planning, setting goals, self-learning, and focusing on the quality of students’ lives.
The updates also aim to stimulate critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and creativity, by assigning students practical tasks that enhance a deep understanding of educational materials, and students collaborating in small teams to work on projects based on real and realistic topics, which enhances their connection to what they are learning, and makes the educational process more enjoyable and stimulating.
Students are evaluated based on multiple criteria, including the quality of the final project, individual effort, group collaboration, and acquired skills, ensuring a fair and comprehensive assessment of student performance. It also prepares students for the world of work and real life by developing their academic and social skills alike, which contributes to building a generation capable of facing the challenges of the future effectively and creatively.
Al Amiri stressed the importance of enhancing the skills of students in the upper grades of basic education, noting that this category is witnessing major changes in thinking and growth, so the ministry was keen to adopt assessment projects instead of second semester exams, to assess educational gains more comprehensively. She stressed that this initiative will be implemented in all government schools, and the necessary training will be provided to teachers to ensure the success of the educational process, noting that the ministry also seeks to provide additional support to students who need assistance in implementing projects.
She stated that “effective education requires more than just traditional exams, and needs strategies that support active learning and innovation. This step comes within our ongoing efforts to improve the education system. With this step, the Ministry looks forward to enhancing students’ skills and ensuring the preparation of a generation capable of facing the challenges of the 21st century.”
She pointed out that the Ministry’s priorities are to enhance students’ skills in preparation for higher education and the labor market, stressing that acquired skills represent a fundamental pillar in developing the education process and improving its quality, emphasizing the importance of integrating efforts in all aspects of the education sector.
Al Amiri praised the standards of continuous development and innovation in curricula, considering that teamwork and knowledge sharing are keys to achieving the country’s educational ambitions.
Updates and relative weights
The new updates to the “Assessment Policy for the Academic Year 2024-2025” aim to hone the skills of students in the age group from fifth to eighth grade.
The relative weights for the evaluation of the second cycle from the fifth to the eighth grade, which is concerned with the continuous evaluation throughout the academic year of the subjects of Group A, namely English, mathematics, science, Islamic education, Arabic language, social studies and moral education, were distributed in the first semester at 10% for the formative school test, and 25% for the central end-of-semester test. In the second semester, the ministry specified 20% for the formative school test, and 10% for project-based learning and evaluation. The weights for the third semester were 10% for the formative test, and 25% for the central final test, while the student’s total score was distributed at 40% for the formative test, and 60% for the central final tests.
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