2013年-世界发展银行全球_Bahrain_Student_Assessment___SABER_Country_Report_2013_45页_470kb

Summary of Bahrain's Student Assessment System

Core Content

Bahrain has developed a structured student assessment system aimed at improving education quality and learning outcomes. The system includes three main types of assessments: classroom assessment, examinations, and large-scale, system-level assessments (NLSA and ILSA). The system is benchmarked using the World Bank's SABER-Student Assessment framework, which evaluates the system based on assessment types and purposes, and quality drivers.

The quality drivers of an assessment system include:

• Enabling context: Policies, leadership, funding, institutional arrangements, and human resources.
• System alignment: Alignment with learning goals, curriculum, and teacher training.
• Assessment quality: Psychometric quality, design, administration, analysis, and reporting.

These drivers are applied to all three types of assessment to determine their development levels, which range from Latent (lowest) to Advanced (best practice).

Main Assessment Types

1. Classroom Assessment

• Level of Development: Established
• Purpose: Provide real-time feedback to support classroom instruction.
• Frequency: Daily.
• Who is Tested: All students.
• Format: Observation, questioning, paper-and-pencil tests, and student performances.
• Coverage: All subject areas.
• Key Issues:
  • Classroom assessments tend to focus on information recall.
  • Grade inflation is a serious problem.
  • There are limited mechanisms to systematically monitor the quality of classroom assessment practices.
  • Teachers are trained in both pre- and in-service programs, but the quality of classroom assessment is perceived as moderate.

2. Examinations

• Level of Development: Established
• Purpose: Select or certify students as they progress through the education system.
• Frequency: Annual, with possible repeat testing.
• Who is Tested: All eligible students.
• Format: Essays and multiple-choice questions.
• Coverage: Main subject areas.
• Key Issues:
  • There are limited systematic mechanisms to ensure the quality of the examination.
  • No external reviews or observers are in place.
  • No piloting or field testing of instruments.
  • No mechanisms to monitor the consequences of the examination on students, teachers, and schools.

3. National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA)

• Level of Development: Established
• Purpose: Monitor education quality at the system level and inform policy design and decision-making.
• Frequency: Every 3–5 years for grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.
• Who is Tested: Sample or census of students at specific grade levels.
• Format: Usually multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
• Coverage: A few subjects.
• Key Issues:
  • The comprehensive technical report on NLSA results is not publicly available.
  • There are some mechanisms to monitor the consequences of the NLSA, including a permanent oversight committee.
  • Limited use of NLSA results in policy dialog, design, and decision-making.

4. International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA)

• Level of Development: Established
• Purpose: Provide feedback on the comparative performance of the education system.
• Frequency: Every 3–5 years.
• Who is Tested: Sample of students at specific grade levels.
• Format: Usually multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
• Coverage: A few subjects.
• Key Issues:
  • Limited opportunities for teachers and students to learn about ILSA.
  • No university or online courses on international assessments.
  • No funding for international workshops or training on ILSA.
  • ILSA results are widely disseminated, but media coverage is limited.

Key Policy Recommendations

Education System Overview

• Bahrain is a high-income country in the Middle East and North Africa region.
• Basic education lasts 9 years and is compulsory for children aged 6–14.
• Secondary education lasts 3 years.
• In 2002, net enrollment rates were 99% at the primary level and 90% at the secondary level.
• In 2008, 11.7% of government spending was allocated to education, equivalent to 2.9% of GDP.
• The King Hamad's Schools of the Future project aims to integrate ICT into education.
• The National Authority for Qualifications and Quality Assurance of Education and Training (NAQAAET) was established in 2008 to monitor education quality.
• Other reforms include vocational training options for secondary students and improved teacher recruitment and training.

Conclusion

Bahrain has a well-established system for examinations and large-scale assessments, but there are opportunities for improvement in classroom assessment and international assessment practices. The system is aligned with global standards and has mechanisms in place to ensure funding, staffing, and policy support. However, the quality and impact of assessments are not always fully realized, and more systematic monitoring and alignment with learning goals and teacher training are needed to enhance the effectiveness of the assessment system.