THE WORLD BANK
LebanonSTUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER Country Report
2013
Key Policy Areas for Student Assessment Status1. Classroom Assessment
In Lebanon, a formal, publicly available system-level document provides guidelines for classroom assessment. Some system-wide resources and materials (such as scoring criteria for evaluating students’ work) are also available to teachers for carrying out classroom assessment activities. In Lebanon, classroom assessment activities tend to be aligned with the pedagogical and curricular framework and are considered to be of moderate quality. While there are adequate required uses of classroom assessment information to support student learning, the information is not used as an input to external examination programs.
2. ExaminationsThe General Secondary Diploma examination has been administered to grade 12 students since 1925. The results are used to certify student completion of the school cycle and to determine selection to higher-education institutions. The results are officially recognized by certification and selection systems in Lebanon and abroad. Regular funding for the examination is provided by the government and covers all core examination activities. There are limited systematic mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of the examination. Additionally, there are no mechanisms, such as a permanent oversight committee, in place to monitor the consequences of the examination for students and other stakeholder groups.
3. National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA)The Measuring Learning Achievement study was administered for the first time in 1994. Since then, it has been operating on an irregular basis, each time assessing a different grade and set of subjects. Lebanon does not have a policy document on the NLSA, or a plan for future NLSA activities. Funding for NLSA activities, provided by the Center for Educational Research and Development, covers core NLSA activities as well as research and development. While there are some mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of the NLSA, there is no publicly available technical report or similar document. There also are no mechanisms in place to monitor the consequences of the NLSA in terms of its impact on education quality or student learning.
4. International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA)In the last 10 years, Lebanon has participated in TIMSS (2003, 2007, 2011) and PASEC (2009), and has taken concrete steps to participate in PISA 2015 and TIMSS 2015. Funding for ILSAs is provided by the Centre for Educational Research and Development and donors. The ILSA team typically attends international meetings on ILSAs; however, no opportunities to learn about ILSAs are offered in Lebanon. Lebanon-specific ILSA results have not been disseminated in the country, and it is not clear that decisions based on ILSA results have had a positive impact on achievement levels.
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Introduction
Lebanon has focused on increasing student learningoutcomes by improving the quality of education in thecountry. An effective student assessment system is animportant component to improving education qualityand learning outcomes as it provides the necessaryinformation to meet stakeholders’ decision makingneeds. In order to gain a better understanding of thestrengths and weaknesses of its existing assessmentsystem, Lebanon decided to benchmark this systemusing standardized tools developed under The WorldBank’s Systems Approach for Better Education Results(SABER) program. SABER is an evidence based programto help countries systematically examine andstrengthen the performance of different aspects of theireducation systems.
What is SABER Student Assessment?
SABER Student Assessment is a component of theSABER program that focuses specifically onbenchmarking student assessment policies and systems.The goal of SABER Student Assessment is to promotestronger assessment systems that contribute toimproved education quality and learning for all.
National governments and international agencies areincreasingly recognizing the key role that assessment ofstudent learning plays in an effective education system.The importance of assessment is linked to its role in:(i) providing information on levels of student
learning and achievement in the system;(ii) monitoring trends in education quality over
time;(iii) supporting educators and students with real
time information to improve teaching andlearning; and
(iv) holding stakeholders accountable for results.
SABER Student Assessment methodology
The SABER Student Assessment framework is built onthe available evidence base for what an effectiveassessment system looks like. The framework providesguidance on how countries can build more effectivestudent assessment systems. The framework isstructured around two main dimensions of assessment
systems: the types/purposes of assessment activitiesand the quality of those activities.
Assessment types and purposes
Assessment systems tend to be comprised of threemain types of assessment activities, each of whichserves a different purpose and addresses differentinformation needs. These three main types are:classroom assessment, examinations, and large scale,system level assessments.
Classroom assessment provides real time informationto support ongoing teaching and learning in individualclassrooms. Classroom assessments use a variety offormats, including observation, questioning, and paperand pencil tests, to evaluate student learning, generallyon a daily basis.
Examinations provide a basis for selecting or certifyingstudents as they move from one level of the educationsystem to the next (or into the workforce). All eligiblestudents are tested on an annual basis (or more often ifthe system allows for repeat testing). Examinationscover the main subject areas in the curriculum andusually involve essays and multiple choice questions.
Large scale, system level assessments provide feedbackon the overall performance of the education system atparticular grades or age levels. These assessmentstypically cover a few subjects on a regular basis (such asevery 3 to 5 years), are often sample based, and usemultiple choice and short answer formats. They may benational or international in scope.
Appendix 1 summarizes the key features of these maintypes of assessment activities.
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Quality drivers of an assessment system
The key considerations when evaluating a studentassessment system are the individual and combinedquality of assessment activities in terms of theadequacy of the information generated to supportdecision making. There are three main drivers ofinformation quality in an assessment system: enablingcontext, system alignment, and assessment quality.
Enabling context refers to the broader context in whichthe assessment activity takes place and the extent towhich that context is conducive to, or supportive of, theassessment. It covers such issues as the legislative orpolicy framework for assessment activities; institutionaland organizational structures for designing, carryingout, or using results from the assessment; theavailability of sufficient and stable sources of funding;and the presence of trained assessment staff.
System alignment refers to the extent to which theassessment is aligned with the rest of the educationsystem. This includes the degree of congruencebetween assessment activities and system learninggoals, standards, curriculum, and pre and in serviceteacher training.
Assessment quality refers to the psychometric quality ofthe instruments, processes, and procedures for theassessment activity. It covers such issues as design andimplementation of assessment activities, analysis andinterpretation of student responses to those activities,and the appropriateness of how assessment results arereported and used.
Crossing the quality drivers with the differentassessment types/purposes provides the frameworkand broad indicator areas shown in Table 1. Thisframework is a starting point for identifying indicatorsthat can be used to review assessment systems andplan for their improvement.
Table 1: Framework for building an effectiveassessment system, with indicator areas
The indicators are identified based on a combination ofcriteria, including:
professional standards for assessment;empirical research on the characteristics of effectiveassessment systems, including analysis of thecharacteristics that differentiate between theassessment systems of low versus high performingnations; andtheory—that is, general consensus amongexperts that it contributes to effectiveassessment.
Levels of development
The World Bank has developed a set ofstandardized questionnaires and rubrics for collectingand evaluating data on the three assessment typesand related quality drivers.
The questionnaires are used to collect data on thecharacteristics of the assessment system in a particularcountry. The information from the questionnaires isthen applied to the rubrics in order to judge thedevelopment level of the country’s assessment systemin different areas.
The basic structure of the rubrics for evaluatingdata collected using the standardized questionnairesis summarized in Appendix 2. The goal of the rubrics isto provide a country with some sense of thedevelopment level of its assessment activities comparedto best or recommended practice in each area. Foreach indicator, the rubric displays four developmentlevels—Latent, Emerging, Established, and Advanced.
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These levels are artificially constructed categorieschosen to represent key stages on the underlyingcontinuum for each indicator. Each level isaccompanied by a description of what performance onthe indicator looks like at that level.
Latent is the lowest level of performance; itrepresents absence of, or deviation from, thedesired attribute.Emerging is the next level; it represents partialpresence of the attribute.Established represents the acceptable minimumstandard.Advanced represents the ideal or current bestpractice.
A summary of the development levels for eachassessment type is presented in Appendix 3.
In reality, assessment systems are likely to be atdifferent levels of development in different areas. Forexample, a system may be Established in the area ofexaminations, but Emerging in the area of largescale, system level assessment, and vice versa. Whileintuition suggests that it is probably better to befurther along in as many areas as possible, theevidence is unclear as to whether it is necessary tobe functioning at Advanced levels in all areas.Therefore, one might view the Established level as adesirable minimum outcome to achieve in all areas, butonly aspire beyond that in those areas that mostcontribute to the national vision or priorities foreducation. In line with these considerations, the ratingsgenerated by the rubrics are not meant to be additiveacross assessment types (that is, they are not meant tobe added to create an overall rating for an assessmentsystem; they are only meant to produce an overallrating for each assessment type). The methodology forassigning development levels is summarized inAppendix 4.
Education in LebanonLebanon is an upper middle income country in theMiddle East and North Africa region. GDP per capita
(current US$) is $9,705, with annual growth of 1.4percent in 2012.
The Lebanese education system is comprised ofkindergarten (3 to 6 year olds); elementary educationfrom grades 1 through 6; intermediate education forgrades 7 through 9; and secondary education for grades10 through 12. Lebanon invests heavily in education,committing 13 percent of its GDP for this purpose. Thisstrong commitment is reflected in Lebanon’s primarynet enrollment rate (95 percent), which is above theregional average. Although Lebanon has lowpupil/teacher ratios of 14:1 at the primary level and 8:1at the secondary level, there is a lack of qualifiedteachers (only 4 percent of public school teachers holda specialized degree), and little or no in service trainingis offered to new teachers.
The Ministry of Education has made important effortsto improve its education system. The government’spriorities for education include expanding access toearly childhood education; reducing dropout andrepetition rates; enhancing the qualifications andperformance of the teaching workforce; establishing aNational Qualifications Framework that will link thevarious education levels to the labor market; andintroducing quality assurance at the higher educationlevel.
Detailed information was collected on Lebanon’sstudent assessment system using the SABER StudentAssessment questionnaires and rubrics. It is importantto remember that these tools primarily focus onbenchmarking a country’s policies and arrangements forassessment activities at the system or macro level.Additional data would need to be collected todetermine actual, on the ground practices in Lebanon,particularly by teachers and students in schools. Thefollowing sections discuss the findings by eachassessment type, accompanied by suggested policyoptions. The suggested policy options were determinedin collaboration with key local stakeholders based onLebanon’s immediate interests and needs. Detailed,completed rubrics for each assessment type areprovided in Appendix 5.
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Classroom Assessment
Level of development: ESTABLISHED
In Lebanon, a formal system level document providesguidelines for classroom assessment for primary andsecondary education. The document is available to thepublic and during in service courses for teachers. Thedocument is also distributed to all school principals.
There are some system wide resources available toteachers for carrying out classroom assessmentactivities. These include an official curriculum/learningstandards document that outlines what students areexpected to learn and their expected levels ofperformance in different subject areas at differentgrade levels; textbooks or workbooks that providesupport for classroom assessment; scoring criteria orrubrics for students’ work; and explanations about theschool exams.
There are limited opportunities available to primary andsecondary school teachers for learning about ordeveloping more effective classroom assessmentpractices. The existing opportunities are providedduring pre service teacher training programs ininstitutes and universities, and during in service teachertraining programs offered by the Centre for EducationalResearch and Development (CERD). There are alsoopportunities for teachers to participate in conferencesand workshops, and school inspection or teachersupervision includes a component focused on classroomassessment. In addition, teachers have opportunities toparticipate in item development for, or scoring of, largescale assessments or exams.
Classroom assessment practices are perceived as beingof moderate quality. While these practices tend to bealigned with the pedagogical and curricular framework,it is also common for them to be focused primarily oninformation recall. Apart from classroom assessmentsbeing a component of school inspection or teachersupervision, there are ad hoc mechanisms in place tomonitor the quality of classroom related practices. Inaddition, government funding is available for researchon the quality of classroom assessment activities andhow to improve classroom assessment with the CERDand the Faculty of Education at the Lebanese University.
Information from classroom assessment is required tobe made available to students, parents, and schooldirectors. Teachers provide feedback in an assessmentgrid, which allows space for quantitative as well asqualitative input.
There is no requirement for classroom assessment datato be used for grading students or as an input to anexternal examination program (e.g., school basedassessment with moderation and quality audit).
Suggested policy options:
1. The Program “Assessment of Student Achievementand Curriculum Development,” which is part of theEducation Sector Development Plan (2010 2015), is tobe implemented with the cooperation of CERD and theFaculty of Education of the Lebanese University. Thisprogram aims to develop the curriculum in a mannerconsistent with national needs and global trends,through setting clear foundations for the reform of thecurriculum and the identification of learning outcomes,developing a Question Bank System (QBS) to be usedfor examinations conducted at the school level, anddeveloping standards for the production of textbooksand teacher guides. In implementing this program,ensure participation and full involvement of the staff ofthe regional resource centers for teacher professionaldevelopment with the selected school principals, as wellas teacher trainers from universities outside of theLebanese University. In addition, ensure that resourcesdeveloped in this program to support teachers inclassroom assessment practices are widelydisseminated.
2. Introduce a variety of mechanisms to systematicallymonitor the quality of classroom assessment practices.For example, include classroom assessment as acomponent of a teacher’s performance evaluation.
3. Ensure that classroom assessment information iseffectively used to inform policymaking by requiringthat it be disseminated to all key stakeholders, includingdistrict or Ministry of Education officials.
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Examinations
Level of development: ESTABLISHED
The General Secondary Diploma (Baccalaureate)examination has been administered to grade 12students since 1925. The results are used for certifyingstudent completion of grade 12 and for determiningselection to university or other higher educationinstitutions.
There is a policy document authorizing and addressingsome key aspects of the Baccalaureate. However, thedocument does not describe authorized uses of theexamination results.
While policymakers and educators support theexamination, it is unclear to what extent otherstakeholder groups (teacher unions, students, parents,media, think tanks and NGOs, employers, anduniversities) support it. The Ministry of Education'sDirectorate General has coordinated efforts witheducators from all sectors to improve theBaccalaureate. These efforts are generally welcomed bythe leadership in charge of the examination.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education'sDepartment of Examinations has been running theBaccalaureate since 1949. Funding for the examinationis allocated by the government and covers all coreexamination activities (design, administration, dataprocessing, and reporting), but does not cover researchand development. The Baccalaureate office has some ofthe required facilities to carry out the examination andis adequately staffed in terms of the quality(qualifications and knowledge) of those working on theexamination, but not necessarily in terms of theirquantity (number of staff).
The Central Inspectorate and the General Directorate ofGeneral Education is the external body to which theExamination Department is accountable. Theexamination results are officially recognized bycertification and selection systems in Lebanon andabroad.
Lebanon offers some opportunities that prepareindividuals for work on the Baccalaureate. These
opportunities include university graduate programs(masters or doctoral level) and non university trainingcourses or workshops focused on educationalmeasurement and evaluation.
There is a clear understanding and acceptance that theBaccalaureate measures national curricula guidelines.Teachers have the opportunity to learn about theBaccalaureate through regularly updated, voluntarycourses or workshops that are offered as part of the inservice training provided by the Center for EducationalResearch and Development. Teachers are involved inmost examination related tasks, including selecting orcreating examination questions and scoring guides.They also administer, supervise, and score theexamination.
Baccalaureate results are credible for all stakeholdergroups, and there is no systematic evidence of theirimproper use. However, students’ names and resultsare not confidential and are made public on the websiteof the Ministry of Education.
Suggested policy options:
1. In order to create linkages between curriculumreform led by the CERD and the formal examinationsystem, introduce mechanisms, such as expert reviewgroups, which monitor the consequences of theexamination and inform curriculum reform activities.Ensure that the administrative procedures within theDepartment of Examinations at the Ministry ofEducation and Higher Education are streamlined toallow for effective implementation of such linkages.
2. Ensure that the Department of Examinations has allof the required facilities to carry out the examinationeffectively. For example, ensure that all technical staffhave access to computers.
3. Support system level mechanisms to ensure thequality of the examination by, for example, conductinga pilot as well as by continuing the ongoing work toensure expansion and improvement of the QuestionBank System (QBS).
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National Large Scale Assessment (NLSA)
Level of development: EMERGING
TheMeasuring Learning Achievement study is a nationallarge scale assessment that was administered for thefirst time in 1994. Since then, it has been implementedon an irregular basis (1995, 1997, 2003, and 2012), eachtime targeting a different grade level and different setof subjects.
There is no policy document, technical report, or otheravailable documentation on the Measuring LearningAchievement study. In order to conduct a round of theassessment, the Centre for Educational Research andDevelopment (CERD) must submit a proposal to, andreceive approval from, the Minister of Education.
The office responsible for the Measuring LearningAchievement study is adequately staffed with mostlypart time and temporary staff. Funding for theassessment is irregular and allocated through thebudget of the Center for Educational Research andDevelopment. Funding covers all core assessmentactivities (design, administration, analysis, andreporting), as well as staff training and research anddevelopment activities. The Measuring LearningAchievement office is accountable to the CentralInspectorate, which is a monitoring body, and to aspecial studies committee mandated by the Center forEducational Research and Development.
As a way to prepare individuals for work on theMeasuring Learning Achievement study, Lebanon offersfunding opportunities for attending internationalprograms, courses, or workshops on educationalmeasurement and evaluation.
There are some mechanisms in place to ensure thequality of the Measuring Learning Achievement study.However, discrepancies are not recorded on a standardsheet, and there is no double data scoring, no externalreviewers or observers, and no external certification oraudit. There are options to include all student groups inthe study, such as plans to ensure that the assessmentis administered to students in hard to reach areas andin the language of instruction for almost all studentgroups.
Reports on the Measuring Learning Achievementresults, which contain information on overallachievement levels and subgroups, are available for allstakeholder groups. There also are workshops orpresentations for key stakeholders on the results.However, the reports do not contain information ontrends over time, nor do they provide information onstandard errors. Additionally, there is no media briefingor coverage of the Measuring Learning Achievementresults.
Measuring Learning Achievement data tend not to beused or else are used in ways inconsistent with thetechnical characteristics of the assessment.
Suggested policy options:
1. In order to institutionalize the Measuring LearningAchievement assessment, introduce a policy documentpertaining to key aspects of the NLSA (sources offunding, uses of results); ensure that the policydocument is approved by the relevant authorizing bodyand is publicly available.
2. Develop a written plan for future NLSA activities,which includes a strategy for collaboration among theDNE (Dispositif National d’Evaluation NationalEvaluation Body), the CERD Evaluation and AssessmentUnit, and the Faculty of Education at the LebaneseUniversity.
3. Ensure that NLSA results are effectively disseminatedin Lebanon. For example, ensure that reports withresults include information on trends over time overalland for subgroups, and that the media providescoverage of NLSA results.
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International Large Scale Assessment(ILSA)
Level of development:
In the last 10 years, Lebanon has participated in anumber of ILSA exercises, including PASEC (2009) andTIMSS (2003, 2007, and 2011). The formal policydocument that addresses participation in ILSAs is theLetter from the Head of the Center for EducationalResearch and Development, authorized by the Ministryof Education and Higher Education on February 2, 2011.Lebanon has taken concrete steps to participate in PISA2015 and TIMSS 2015.
There is funding for participation in ILSAs allocated atdiscretion by the Centre for Educational Research andDevelopment (CERD) in Lebanon and from loans orexternal donors. Funding covers internationalparticipation fees, in country implementation of theassessment exercise (e.g., printing booklets, travel toschools), data processing and analysis, and attendanceat international meetings for the assessment exercise.Funding does not cover reporting and dissemination ofthe assessment results in Lebanon or research anddevelopment activities.
The national coordinator oversees a sufficiently staffedteam that has previous experience working oninternational assessments as well as the necessarytraining to carry out the required ILSA activitieseffectively. The national coordinator is fluent in thelanguage (English, in the case of TIMSS) in which theinternational level meetings are conducted and relateddocumentation is available.
No issues were identified with the carrying out of themost recent ILSA activities in Lebanon. In addition, theILSA team was able to attend all internationalworkshops and meetings related to the exercise.However, Lebanon only met the standards necessary tohave its data presented beneath the main display of theinternational report or in an annex.
Country specific results and information from ILSAshave not been disseminated in Lebanon and have onlybeen published in the international report. Products toprovide feedback to schools and educators about theILSA results are not made available. While it is plannedfor ILSA results to be used to inform curriculumimprovement, teacher training programs, and otherassessment activities in the system, at the present time,results from ILSAs have not been used to informdecision making at the national level.
It is not clear that decisions based on ILSA results havehad a positive impact on student achievement levels.
Suggested policy options:
1. Continue efforts to strengthen capacity within theCERD, which include Lebanon’s involvement in theRegional Program on Student Assessment and Qualityof Education, part of the Arab Regional Agenda forImproving Education Quality (ARAIEQ). In addition,introduce opportunities to learn about ILSA to relevantstakeholders. For example, host workshops on usinginternational assessment databases that are available tostaff working on ILSA and other individuals interested inassessment.
2. Ensure that Lebanon specific ILSA results are widelydisseminated in the country. For example, develop anational report and make it available to all keystakeholders, including school principals, teachers(through teacher training programs), and the media.
3. Organize regular conferences and workshopsinvolving a variety of key stakeholder groups—includingacademia, practitioners, media, and civil societyorganizations—to discuss how ILSA results can be usedto improve learning in Lebanon.
4. Continue ongoing analytical work on TIMSS data andensure that it is used for informing policymaking, suchas curriculum improvement and teacher trainingprograms.
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Appendix 1: Assessment Types and Their Key Differences
Classroom Large-scale assessment Surveys
Examinations
National International Exit Entrance
Purpose To provide immediatefeedback to inform classroom instruction
To provide feedback on overall health of the system at particular grade/age level(s), and to monitor trends in learning
To provide feedback on the comparative performance of the education system at particular grade/age level(s)
To certify students as they move from one level of the education system to the next (or into the workforce)
To select students for further educational opportunities
Frequency Daily For individual subjects offered on a regular basis (such as every 3-5 years)
For individual subjects offered on a regular basis (such as every 3-5 years)
Annually and more often where the system allows for repeats
Annually and more often where the system allows for repeats
Who is tested?
All students Sample or census of students at a particular grade or age level(s)
A sample of students at a particular grade or age level(s)
All eligible students
All eligible students
Format Varies from observation to questioning to paper-and-pencil tests to student performances
Usually multiple choice and short answer
Usually multiple choice and short answer
Usually essay and multiple choice
Usually essay and multiple choice
Coverage of curriculum
All subject areas Generally confined to a few subjects
Generally confined to one or two subjects
Covers main subject areas
Covers main subject areas
Additional informationcollected from students?
Yes, as part of the teaching process
Frequently Yes Seldom Seldom
Scoring Usually informal and simple
Varies from simple to more statistically sophisticatedtechniques
Usually involves statistically sophisticatedtechniques
Varies from simple to more statistically sophisticatedtechniques
Varies from simple to more statistically sophisticatedtechniques
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Appendix 2: Basic Structure of Rubrics for Evaluating Data Collected on a Student Assessment System
Dimension
Development Level
LATENT (Absence of, or deviation from,
attribute)
EMERGING (On way to meeting minimum standard)
ESTABLISHED (Acceptable
minimum standard)
ADVANCED (Best practice) Justification
EC—ENABLING CONTEXT EC1—Policies EC2—Leadership, public engagement
EC3—Funding EC4—Institutional arrangements EC5—Human resources
SA—SYSTEM ALIGNMENT SA1—Learning/quality goals SA2—Curriculum SA3—Pre-, in-service teacher training
AQ—ASSESSMENT QUALITY AQ1—Ensuring quality (design, administration, analysis)
AQ2—Ensuring effective uses
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Appendix 3: Summary of the Development Levels for Each Assessment Type
Assessment Type LATENT EMERGING ESTABLISHED ADVANCED
Absence of, or deviation from, the attribute
On way to meeting minimum standard
Acceptable minimum standard
Best practice
CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT
There is no system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.
There is weak system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.
There is sufficient system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.
There is strong system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.
EXAMINATIONS
There is no standardized examination in place for key decisions.
There is a partially stable standardized examination in place, and a need to develop institutional capacity to run the examination. The examination typically is of poor quality and is perceived as unfair or corrupt.
There is a stable standardized examination in place. There is institutional capacity and some limited mechanisms to monitor it. The examination is of acceptable quality and is perceived as fair for most students and free from corruption.
There is a stable standardized examination in place and institutional capacity and strong mechanisms to monitor it. The examination is of high quality and is perceived as fair and free from corruption.
NATIONAL (OR SYSTEMLEVEL) LARGE SCALEASSESSMENT
There is no NLSA in place.
There is an unstable NLSA in place and a need to develop institutional capacity to run the NLSA. Assessment quality and impact are weak.
There is a stable NLSA in place. There is institutional capacity and some limited mechanisms to monitor it. The NLSA is of moderate quality and its information is disseminated, but not always used in effective ways.
There is a stable NLSA in place and institutional capacity and strong mechanisms to monitor it. The NLSA is of high quality and its information is effectively used to improve education.
INTERNATIONAL LARGESCALE ASSESSMENT
There is no history of participation in an ILSA nor plans to participate in one.
Participation in an ILSA has been initiated, but there still is need to develop institutional capacity to carry out the ILSA.
There is more or less stable participation in an ILSA. There is institutional capacity to carry out the ILSA. The information from the ILSA is disseminated, but not always used in effective ways.
There is stable participation in an ILSA and institutional capacity to run the ILSA. The information from the ILSA is effectively used to improve education.
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Appendix 4: Methodology for AssigningDevelopment Levels
1. The country team or consultant collects informationabout the assessment system in the country.
2. Based on the collected information, a level ofdevelopment and score is assigned to each dimension inthe rubrics:
Latent = 1 score pointEmerging = 2 score pointsEstablished = 3 score pointsAdvanced = 4 score points
3. The score for each quality driver is computed byaggregating the scores for each of its constituentdimensions. For example:
The quality driver, ‘Enabling Context,’ in the case ofILSA, has 3 dimensions on which a hypothetical countryreceives the following scores: Dimension A = 2 points;Dimension B = 2 points; Dimension C = 3 points. Thehypothetical country’s overall score for this qualitydriver would be: (2+2+3)/3 = 2.33
4. A preliminary level of development is assigned toeach quality driver.
5. The preliminary development level is validated usingexpert judgment in cooperation with the country teamand The World Bank Task Team Leader.
For scores that allow a margin of discretion (i.e., tochoose between two levels of development), a finaldecision has to be made based on expert judgment. Forexample, the aforementioned hypothetical country hasan ‘Enabling Context’ score of 2.33, corresponding to apreliminary level of development of ‘Emerging orEstablished.’ Based on qualitative information notcaptured in the rubric, along with expert judgment, thecountry team chooses ‘Emerging’ as the mostappropriate level.
6. Scores for certain key dimensions under ‘EnablingContext’ (in the case of EXAM, NLSA, and ILSA) andunder ‘System Alignment’ (in the case of CLASS) wereset as ceiling scores, i.e., the overall mean score for the
particular assessment type cannot be greater than thescore for these key dimensions. These key variablesinclude formal policy, regular funding, having apermanent assessment unit, and the quality ofassessment practices.
SYSTEM
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Appendix5:SABERStudentAssessm
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tthat
provides
guidelines
for
classroo
massessmen
t.
Thereisaform
alsystem
leveld
ocum
ent
that
provides
guidelines
forclassroo
massessmen
t.1
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
availability
ofthe
documen
tis
restricted.
Thedo
cumen
tisw
idelyavailable.
2
ENABLINGCONTEXT
ANDSYSTEM
ALIGNMENT2:
Aligning
classroomassessmentw
ithsystem
learning
goals
Thereareno
system
wideresourcesfor
teache
rsforclassroom
assessmen
t.Therearescarce
system
wideresources
forteachersfor
classroo
massessmen
t.Therearesomesystem
wideresources
forteachersfor
classroo
massessmen
t.3There
are
avarie
tyof
system
wide
resources
available
for
teache
rsfor
classroo
massessmen
t.
There
isno
official
curriculum
orstandardsd
ocum
ent.
There
isan
official
curriculum
orstandardsdo
cumen
t,bu
titis
notclear
whatstud
ents
areexpe
cted
tolearnor
towhatlevelof
performance.
There
isan
official
curriculum
orstandardsdo
cumen
tthat
specifies
what
stud
ents
areexpe
cted
tolearn,
butthe
levelof
performance
requ
ired
isno
tclear.
There
isan
official
curriculum
orstandardsdo
cumen
tthat
specifies
what
stud
ents
areexpe
cted
tolearn
and
towhatlevelof
performance.4
ENABLINGCONTEXT
ANDSYSTEM
ALIGNMENT3:
Havingeffectivehuman
resourcestocarryoutclassroom
assessmentactivities
Thereareno
system
levelmechanism
sto
ensure
that
teache
rsde
velop
skills
andexpe
rtise
inclassroo
massessmen
t.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
There
are
some
system
level
mechanism
sto
ensure
that
teache
rsde
velopskillsandexpe
rtise
inclassroo
massessmen
t.
There
are
avarie
tyof
system
level
mechanism
sto
ensure
that
teache
rsde
velopskillsandexpe
rtise
inclassroo
massessmen
t.5
* *
* **
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
15
ASSESSMENTQUALITY
Qua
lityof
classroo
massessmentd
esign,ad
ministratio
n,an
alysis,
anduse.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ASSESSMENTQUALITY1:
Ensuring
thequality
ofclassroomassessment
Classroo
massessmen
tpractices
suffe
rfrom
widespreadweaknessesor
thereis
noinform
ation
available
onclassroo
massessmen
tpractices.
Classroo
massessmen
tpractices
are
know
nto
beweak.
Classroo
massessmen
tpractices
are
know
nto
beof
mod
eratequ
ality
.6Classroo
massessmen
tpractices
are
know
nto
begene
rally
ofhigh
quality
.
Thereareno
mechanism
sto
mon
itorthe
quality
ofclassroo
massessmen
tpractices.
Therearead
hocmechanism
sto
mon
itor
the
quality
ofclassroo
massessmen
tpractices.7
Therearelim
itedsystem
aticmechanism
sto
mon
itor
the
quality
ofclassroo
massessmen
tpractices.
There
are
varie
dand
system
atic
mechanism
sin
place
tomon
itor
the
quality
ofclassroo
massessmen
tpractices.
ASSESSMENTQUALITY2:
Ensuring
effectiveusesofclassroomassessment
Classroo
massessmen
tinformationisno
trequ
ired
tobe
dissem
inated
tokey
stakeh
olde
rs.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Classroo
massessmen
tinform
ation
isrequ
iredto
bedissem
inated
tosomekey
stakeh
olde
rs.8
Classroo
massessmen
tinform
ation
isrequ
iredto
bedissem
inated
toallkey
stakeh
olde
rs.
Thereareno
requ
ireduses
ofclassroo
massessmen
ttosupp
ortstude
ntlearning.
There
are
limite
drequ
ired
uses
ofclassroo
massessmen
tto
supp
ort
stud
entlearning.
There
are
adeq
uate
requ
ired
uses
ofclassroo
massessmen
tto
supp
ort
stud
entlearning,e
xcluding
itsuseas
aninpu
tfor
externalexam
inationresults.9
There
are
adeq
uate
requ
ired
uses
ofclassroo
massessmen
tto
supp
ort
stud
entlearning,including
itsuseas
aninpu
tfor
externalexam
inationresults.
* *
*
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
16
ClassroomAssessment
1.Theform
alsystem
leveld
ocum
entp
roviding
guidelines
forc
lassroom
assessmen
tistheMinister
decisio
nNo.
666/m/200
0,datedNovem
ber1
4,20
00,and
itsam
endm
entby
decisio
nNo.
940/m/200
1,datedJune
27,20
01,authorize
dby
theMinistry
ofEducation.
Thedo
cumen
tappliesforprim
aryand
second
aryed
ucation.
2.Thedo
cumen
tisa
vailableto
thepu
blicandhasb
eendistrib
uted
toallschoo
lprin
cipalsinthepu
blicsector.The
documen
tisa
lsoavailabledu
ringin
service
coursesforteachers.Ad
ditio
nally,teachershave
hadtheop
portun
ityto
review
thedo
cumen
tintheearly
phaseof
implem
entatio
nof
thene
wcurriculain
2000
and20
01.
3.Re
sourcesteachersfor
classroo
massessmen
tinclude
:
a.A
documen
tthat
outline
swhatstud
ents
areexpe
cted
tolearnin
diffe
rent
subjectareasat
diffe
rent
grade/agelevels
andthelevel(s)of
performance
that
stud
entsareexpe
cted
toreachindiffe
rent
subjecta
reas
atdiffe
rent
grade/agelevels(the
documen
tcan
belocatedintheCe
ntre
forE
ducatio
nalResearchandDe
velopm
ent's
web
siteat
www.crdp.org);
b.Textbo
okso
rworkboo
ksthat
providesupp
ortfor
classroo
massessmen
t;c.
Scoringcrite
riaor
rubricsfor
stud
ents’w
ork;and
d.Explanations
abou
tthe
scho
olexam
s.
4.Thereisan
officialcurriculum
orstandardsd
ocum
entthat spe
cifie
swhatstude
ntsa
reexpe
cted
tolearnandto
whatlevelof
performance.
5.Thesystem
levelmechanism
sthat
ensure
that
teache
rsde
velop
skillsand
expe
rtise
inclassroo
massessmen
tinclud
epreserviceteache
rtraining
oppo
rtun
ities
availableintheinstitu
tesandintheun
iversities,in
serviceteache
rtrainingprovided
continuo
uslyby
theCe
ntre
forE
ducatio
nalR
esearchand
Developm
entforallprim
aryand
second
aryscho
olteache
rs,op
portun
ities
forteache
rsto
participatein
conferen
cesand
worksho
psand
inite
mde
velopm
entfor,o
rscorin
gof,large
scaleassessmen
tsor
exam
s,andscho
olinspectio
nor
teache
rsup
ervisio
ninclud
esacompo
nent
focusedon
classroo
massessmen
t.Preserviceteache
r trainingprogramsinclude
courseso
nclassroo
massessmen
t.
6.Classroo
massessmen
tpractices
areknow
nto
beof
mod
eratequ
ality
.Spe
cifically,itisno
tcom
mon
forclassroo
massessmen
tactivities
torelymainlyon
multip
lechoice,selectio
ntype
questio
ns,toob
serveerrors
inthescoringor
gradingof
stud
ents'w
ork,or
forc
lassroom
assessmen
tsto
bemainlyused
asadministrativ
eor
controltoo
lrathe
rthanas
pedagogicalresou
rce.
Itiscommon
forc
lassroom
assessmen
tpractices
tobe
aligne
dwith
thepe
dagogicaland
curricular
fram
ework.
Une
venapplicationof
standardsforgradingstud
ents’w
orkandgradeinfla
tiontend
tono
tbe
aserio
usprob
lem.Even
thou
ghparentstend
tobe
wellinformed
ofstud
ents'grade
s,classroo
massessmen
tinformationprovides
little
feed
back
tostud
ents.A
ddition
ally,itiscommon
for
classroo
massessmen
tactiv
ities
tobe
mainlyabou
trecalling
inform
ation,
andteache
rstend
tono
tuseexplicitor
aprioricrite
riaforscoringor
grading
stud
ents'w
ork.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
17
7.Althou
ghclassroo
massessmen
tisarequ
iredcompo
nent
ofscho
olinspectio
nor
teache
rsup
ervisio
n,classroo
massessmen
tisno
tarequ
iredcompo
nent
ofateache
r’spe
rformance
evaluatio
n;thereisno
external
mod
erationsystem
inplacethat
review
sthedifficulty
ofclassroo
massessmen
tactiv
ities
orthe
approp
riatene
ssof
scoringcrite
riain
gradingstud
ents’work;andnatio
nalo
rother
system
widereview
sof
thequ
ality
ofed
ucationthat
includ
eafocuson
classroo
massessmen
tdono
ttakeplace.Ho
wever,governm
entfun
ding
isavailableforresearchon
thequ
ality
ofclassroo
massessmen
tactivities
andho
wto
improveclassroo
massessmen
t with
theCE
RDandthroughtheFaculty
ofEd
ucationat
theLebane
seUniversity
.
8.Teache
rsarerequ
iredto
repo
rton
individu
alstud
ent's
performance
tostud
ents,paren
ts,and
scho
oldirectors.Teache
rsprovidefeed
back
inan
assessmen
tgrid,w
hich
allowsspace
forq
uantita
tiveas
wellasq
ualitativeinpu
t.
9.Therequ
ireduses
includ
ediagno
singstud
entlearning
issue
s,providingfeed
back
tostud
ents
ontheirlearning,inform
ingparentsabou
ttheirchild’s
learning,and
planning
next
step
sininstruction.
However,classroom
assessmen
tisno
treq
uiredto
beused
forg
rading
stud
entsforinternalclassroom
uses
orforp
roviding
inpu
ttoan
externalexam
inationprogram
(e.g.,scho
olbasedassessmen
twith
mod
erationandqu
ality
audit).
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
18
LEBANON
Exam
inations
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
19
ENABLINGCONTEXT
Overallfram
eworkof
policies,lead
ership,organ
izatio
nalstructures,fiscaland
human
resourcesinwhich
assessmenta
ctivity
takesp
lace
inacoun
tryor
system
andtheextent
towhich
that
fram
eworkiscond
uciveto,orsup
portiveof,the
assessmenta
ctivity.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
1:Settingclearpolicies
Nostandardize
dexam
inationhastaken
place.
Thestandardize
dexam
inationhasbe
enop
eratingon
anirregular
basis.
Theexam
inationisastableprogram
that
hasb
eenop
eratingregularly
.1This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion
There
isno
policy
documen
tthat
authorize
sthe
exam
ination.
There
isan
inform
alor
draft
policy
documen
tthat
authorize
sthe
exam
ination.
Thereis
aform
alpo
licydo
cumen
tthat
authorize
sthe
exam
ination.
2This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisno
tavailableto
thepu
blic
Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisavailableto
the
public.3
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
policy
documen
taddresses
some
keyaspe
ctso
fthe
exam
ination.
4Thepo
licydo
cumen
taddressesallkey
aspe
ctso
fthe
exam
ination.
ENABLINGCONTEXT
2:Havingstrong
leadership
Allstakeh
olde
rgrou
psstrongly
oppo
setheexam
inationor
areindiffe
rent
toit.
5Most
stakeh
olde
rgrou
psop
pose
the
exam
ination.
5Moststakeh
olde
rsgrou
pssupp
ortthe
exam
ination.
5All
stakeh
olde
rgrou
pssupp
ort
the
exam
ination.
5
Thereareno
attemptsto
improvethe
exam
inationby
stakeh
olde
rgroup
s.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
There
are
inde
pend
ent
attempts
toim
provetheexam
inationby
stakeh
olde
rgrou
ps.
There
are
coordinated
attempts
toim
provetheexam
inationby
stakeh
olde
rgrou
ps.6
Effortsto
improvetheexam
inationare
not
welcomed
bythe
leadership
incharge
oftheexam
ination
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Effortsto
improvetheexam
inationare
gene
rally
welcomed
bytheleadership
incharge
oftheexam
ination.
7
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
(CONTINUE
D)
* * * *
*
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
20
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
3:Havingregularfunding
There
isno
fund
ing
allocated
forthe
exam
ination.
Thereis
irregular
fund
ingallocatedfor
theexam
ination.
Thereisregularfun
ding
allocatedforthe
exam
ination.
8This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ingcovers
somecore
exam
ination
activities:de
sign,
administratio
n,data
processin
gor
repo
rting.
Fund
ing
covers
allcore
exam
ination
activities:de
sign,
administratio
n,data
processin
gandrepo
rting.
9
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
does
notcoverresearch
and
developm
ent.1
0This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
covers
research
and
developm
ent.
ENABLINGCONTEXT
4:Havingstrong
organizationalstructures
Theexam
inationofficedo
esno
texist
orisne
wlyestablish
ed.
The
exam
ination
office
isne
wly
establish
ed.
The
exam
ination
office
isa
stable
organizatio
n.11
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
exam
ination
office
isno
taccoun
table
toan
external
board
oragen
cy.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Theexam
inationofficeisaccoun
tableto
anexternalbo
ardor
agen
cy.12
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Exam
inationresults
areno
trecognize
dby
anycertificatio
nor
selectionsystem
.Exam
ination
results
are
recognize
dby
certificatio
nor
selectionsystem
inthe
coun
try.
Exam
ination
results
are
recognize
dby
onecertificatio
nor
selectionsystem
inanothe
rcou
ntry.
Exam
ination
results
are
recognize
dby
two
ormore
certificatio
nor
selection
system
inanothe
rcou
ntry.13
The
exam
ination
office
does
nothave
therequ
ired
facilitiesto
carryou
tthe
exam
ination.
Theexam
inationofficehassomeof
the
requ
ired
facilities
tocarry
out
the
exam
ination.
14
The
exam
ination
office
hasallof
the
requ
ired
facilities
tocarry
out
the
exam
ination.
Theexam
inationofficehasstateof
the
artfacilitie
stocarryou
tthe
exam
ination.
(CONTINUE
D)
* * *
*
*
*
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
21
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
5:Havingeffectivehuman
resources
There
isno
staff
tocarry
out
the
exam
ination.
Theexam
ination
officeis
inadeq
uately
staffed
toeffectively
carry
out
the
exam
ination,issue
sare
pervasive.
The
exam
ination
office
isadeq
uately
staffed
tocarry
outthe
exam
ination
effectively,with
minim
alissue
s.15
The
exam
ination
office
isadeq
uately
staffed
tocarry
out
the
assessmen
teffectively,with
noissue
s.
Thecoun
trydo
esno
toffe
ropp
ortunitie
sthat
prep
are
for
work
onthe
exam
ination.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
coun
tryoffers
someop
portun
ities
that
prep
are
for
work
onthe
exam
ination.
16
The
coun
try
offers
awide
range
ofop
portun
ities
that
prep
areforworkon
theexam
ination.
* *
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
22
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT
Degree
towhich
theassessmentisc
oherentw
ithothercom
ponentso
fthe
educationsystem
.LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT1:
Aligning
exam
inationswith
learning
goalsand
opportunitiestolearn
Itis
notclearwhatthe
exam
ination
measures.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thereis
aclearun
derstand
ingof
what
theexam
inationmeasures.17
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
What
the
exam
ination
measures
isqu
estio
nedby
somestakeh
olde
rgroup
s.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Whatismeasuredby
theexam
inationis
largelyaccepted
bystakeh
olde
rgroup
s.18
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Materialtoprep
arefortheexam
ination
isminim
aland
itis
only
accessible
tovery
fewstud
ents.
Thereissomematerialtoprep
areforthe
exam
inationthat
isaccessible
tosome
stud
ents.
There
iscompreh
ensiv
ematerial
toprep
are
for
the
exam
ination
that
isaccessibleto
moststude
nts.
19
There
iscompreh
ensiv
ematerial
toprep
are
for
the
exam
ination
that
isaccessibleto
allstude
nts.
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT2:
Providingteacherswith
opportunitiestolearnabouttheexam
ination
Thereareno
coursesor
worksho
pson
exam
inations
availableto
teache
rs.
There
are
noup
todate
courses
orworksho
pson
exam
inations
availableto
teache
rs.
Thereareup
todate
voluntarycourses
orworksho
pson
exam
inations
available
toteache
rs.2
0
Thereareup
todate
compu
lsory
courses
orworksho
pson
exam
inations
for
teache
rs.
Teache
rsare
exclud
edfrom
all
exam
inationrelatedtasks.
Teache
rsare
involved
invery
few
exam
inationrelatedtasks.
Teache
rsare
involved
insome
exam
inationrelatedtasks.
Teache
rsare
involved
inmost
exam
inationrelatedtasks.
21
* * * *
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
23
ASSESSMENTQUALITY
Degree
towhich
theassessmentm
eetsqu
ality
stan
dards,isfair,
andisused
inan
effectiveway.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ASSESSMENTQUALITY1:
Ensuring
quality
There
isno
technicalrepo
rtor
othe
rdo
cumen
tatio
n.There
issome
documen
tatio
non
the
exam
ination,
butit
isno
tin
aform
alrepo
rtform
at.22
There
isa
compreh
ensiv
etechnical
repo
rtbu
twith
restrictedcirculation.
Thereis
acompreh
ensiv
e,high
quality
technicalrep
ortavailableto
thegene
ral
public.
There
are
nomechanism
sin
place
toen
sure
thequ
ality
oftheexam
ination.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Therearelim
itedsystem
aticmechanism
sin
place
toen
sure
the
quality
ofthe
exam
ination.
23
There
are
varie
dand
system
atic
mechanism
sin
place
toen
sure
the
quality
oftheexam
ination.
ASSESSMENTQUALITY2:
Ensuring
fairness
Inapprop
riate
behavior
surrou
ndingthe
exam
inationprocessish
igh.
Inapprop
riate
behavior
surrou
ndingthe
exam
inationprocessism
oderate.
Inapprop
riate
behavior
surrou
ndingthe
exam
inationprocessislow
.24Inapprop
riate
behavior
surrou
ndingthe
exam
inationprocessism
arginal.
Theexam
ination
results
lack
cred
ibility
fora
llstakeh
olde
rgroup
s.Theexam
inationresults
arecred
ible
for
somestakeh
olde
rgroup
s.Theexam
inationresults
arecred
ible
for
allstakeho
lder
grou
ps.25
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Themajority
ofthestud
ents
(over50%)
may
nottaketheexam
inationbe
causeof
language,gend
er,or
othe
req
uivalent
barriers.
Asig
nificant
prop
ortio
nof
stud
ents
(10%
50%)m
ayno
ttaketheexam
ination
becauseof
language,gend
er,or
othe
req
uivalent
barriers.
Asm
allp
ropo
rtionof
stud
ents(le
ssthan
10%)may
not
take
the
exam
ination
becauseof
language,gend
er,or
othe
req
uivalent
barriers.
Allstud
ents
cantake
theexam
ination;
thereareno
language,gend
eror
othe
req
uivalent
barriers.26
(CONTINUE
D)
*
* * *
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
24
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ASSESSMENTQUALITY3:
Usingexam
inationinform
ationinafairway
Exam
ination
results
are
notused
ina
prop
erway
byallstakeho
lder
grou
ps.
Exam
ination
results
are
used
bysome
stakeh
olde
rgroup
sinaprop
erway.
Exam
ination
results
are
used
bymost
stakeh
olde
rgroup
sinaprop
erway.
Exam
ination
results
are
used
byall
stakeh
olde
rgroup
sinaprop
erway.27
Stud
entn
ames
andresults
arepu
blic.28
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Stud
ents’resultsareconfidentia
l.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
ASSESSMENTQUALITY4:
Ensuring
positiveconsequencesoftheexam
ination
Thereareno
optio
nsforstud
ents
who
dono
tperform
wello
ntheexam
ination,
orstud
ents
mustleave
the
education
system
.
There
are
very
limite
dop
tions
for
stud
entswho
dono
tperform
wellonthe
exam
ination.
29
Therearesomeop
tions
forstude
ntsw
hodo
notp
erform
wellontheexam
ination.
Thereisavarie
tyof
optio
nsforstud
ents
who
dono
tpe
rform
well
onthe
exam
ination.
There
are
nomechanism
sin
place
tomon
itor
the
conseq
uences
ofthe
exam
ination.
30
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Therearesomemechanism
sin
placeto
mon
itor
the
conseq
uences
ofthe
exam
ination.
Thereisavarie
tyof
mechanism
sin
place
tomon
itor
the
conseq
uences
ofthe
exam
ination.
*
*
*
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
25
Exam
inations
1.Theexam
ination,
GeneralSecon
dary
Diplom
a(Baccalaureate),hasbe
enadministered
since
1925
atgrade12
forstude
ntcertificatio
nforg
rade
completion
andforselectio
nto
universityor
othe
rhighe
red
ucationinstitu
tions.
2.Theform
alpo
licydo
cumen
tthata
utho
rizes
theexam
inationisDe
cree
No.56
97of
June
15,200
1,authorize
dby
thePresiden
cyof
theRe
publicin20
11.
3.Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisa
vailableto
thepu
blic.
4.Thepo
licydo
cumen
tautho
rizingtheexam
inationou
tline
sgovernance;d
istrib
utionof
power;respo
nsibilitie
sam
ongkeyen
tities;proced
ures
toinvestigate
andaddresssecuritybreaches, che
ating,or
othe
rformsof
inapprop
riate
behavior;and
proced
ures
forspe
cial/disa
dvantagedstud
ents.Ita
lsospecifies
who
cansit
forthe
exam
inationandiden
tifiesrulesabou
titsprep
aration.
Thedo
cumen
talso
describ
esthepu
rposeof
theexam
ination,
states
fund
ingsources,
andexplains
itsalignm
entwith
curriculaandstandardsandtheform
atof
theexam
inationqu
estio
ns.H
owever,the
policydo
cumen
tdo
esno
tde
scrib
eauthorize
duses
ofresults.
5.While
policym
akersanded
ucatorssupp
orttheexam
inationprogram,itisun
clearto
whatextent
othe
rstakeh
olde
rgrou
ps(teacher
unions,s
tude
nts,
parents,med
ia,think
tanksa
ndNGO
s,em
ployers,andun
iversities)supp
ortit.
6.TheMinistry
ofEducation'sD
irectorateGe
neralhas
coordinatedeffortsw
ithed
ucatorsfrom
allsectorsto
improvetheexam
ination.
7.Effortstoim
provetheexam
inationaregene
rally
welcomed
bytheleadershipincharge
oftheexam
ination.
8.Thereisregularfun
ding
allocatedby
thegovernmen
tfor
theexam
ination.
9.Fund
ingcoversallcoreexam
inationactiv
ities:examinationde
signandadministratio
n,anddata
processin
gandrepo
rting.
10.F
unding
does
notcover
research
andde
velopm
enta
ctivities.
11.T
heMinistry
ofEducation'sE
xaminationDe
partmen
thas
been
runn
ingtheexam
inationsin
ce19
49.
12.T
heCe
ntralInspectorate
andtheGe
neralDirectorateof
Gene
ralEducationis
theexternal
body
towhich
theMinistry's
Exam
inationDe
partmen
tis
accoun
tableto.
13.T
heexam
inationresults
areofficially
recognize
dby
certificatio
nandselectionsystem
sin
thecoun
tryandanyw
here
abroad.Lebane
sestud
ents
with
Lebane
secertificatio
ncanaccessforeignun
iversitiesinanycoun
try.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
26
14.W
hiletheexam
inationofficeusually
hasa
secure
building,adeq
uate
commun
icationtools(pho
ne,email,andinternet),andsecure
storagefacilities,itdo
esno
tnormallyhave
compu
tersfora
lltechnicalstaff,
accessto
adeq
uate
compu
terservers,orthe
ability
toback
updata.
15.T
heexam
inationofficeis
adeq
uately
staffedin
term
sof
quality
,bu
tno
tne
cessarily
interm
sof
quantity.
Mainlytempo
rary
andpart
timestaffare
respon
sibleforrun
ning
theexam
ination.
16.T
heop
portun
ities
offeredon
anannu
albasis
toprep
areforw
orkon
theexam
inationareun
iversitygraduate
programs(m
asters
ordo
ctorallevel),
aswell
asno
nun
iversitytraining
courseso
rworksho
ps,spe
cificallyfocusedon
educationalm
easuremen
tand
evaluatio
n.
17.T
heexam
inationmeasuresn
ationalschoo
lcurriculum
guidelines
orstandards.
18.W
hatism
easuredby
theexam
inationislargelyaccepted
bystakeh
olde
rgroup
s.
19.T
hematerialavailableto
prep
arefor the
exam
inationinclud
esexam
ples
ofthetype
sof
questio
nsthat
areon
theexam
inationandinform
ationon
howto
prep
areforthe
exam
ination.Thismaterialisa
ccessib
leby
allstude
nts.
20.T
here
arevoluntarycoursesor
worksho
psthat
areregularly
updatedandareofferedthroughthecontinuo
usteache
rin
servicetraining
provided
bythe
Center
forE
ducatio
nalResearchandDe
velopm
ent.
21.T
eachersh
avethetaskso
fselectin
gor
creatin
gexam
inationqu
estio
nsandscoringguides.The
yalso
administer,sup
ervise,and
scoretheexam
ination.
22.T
here
issomedo
cumen
tatio
non
theexam
ination,bu
titisn
otinaform
alrepo
rtform
at.
23.D
espite
therebe
inginternalandexternalreview
ersor
observersto
ensure
thequ
ality
oftheexam
ination,
thereisno
externalcertificatio
nor
audit,piloto
rfie
ldtesting,or
transla
tionverification.
24.T
hefewinapprop
riate
behaviorsthat
typically
occura
reim
person
ation(w
henan
individu
alothe
rthantheregistered
cand
idatetakestheexam
ination)
and
copyingfrom
othe
rcand
idates.Intheeven
tof
thesecond
ucts,stude
ntsareforbidde
nto
beadmitted
into
theexam
inationprocessforfour
consecutive
term
s.
25.T
heexam
inationresults
arecred
iblefora
llstakeh
olde
rgroup
s.
26.A
llstud
entscantake
theexam
ination;
thereisno
language,gen
der,or
othe
requ
ivalen
tbarrie
rs.
27.T
here
isno
system
aticeviden
ceof
improp
eruseof
theexam
inationresults.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
27
28.S
tude
nt'snames
andresults
areno
tcon
fiden
tialand
aremadepu
blicon
theweb
siteof
theMinistry
ofEducation.
29.T
heop
tions
forthe
stud
entswho
dono
tperform
wellontheexam
inationareretaking
theexam
inationor
repe
atingthegrade.
30.T
here
areno
mechanism
sinplaceto
mon
itorthe
conseq
uences
oftheexam
ination.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
28
LEBANON
National(orSystem
Level)LargeScaleAssessment(NLSA)
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
29
ENABLINGCONTEXT
Overallfram
eworkof
policies,lead
ership,organ
izatio
nalstructures,fiscaland
human
resourcesinwhich
NLSAactivity
takesp
lace
inacoun
tryor
system
andthe
extent
towhich
that
fram
eworkiscond
uciveto,orsup
portiveof,the
NLSAactiv
ity.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
1:SettingclearpoliciesforNLSA
NoNLSAexercise
hastaken
place.
The
NLSA
has
been
operating
onan
irregular
basis.1
TheNLSA
isastable
program
that
has
been
operatingregularly
.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thereis
nopo
licydo
cumentpe
rtaining
toNLSA.
2There
isan
inform
alor
draft
policy
documen
tthata
utho
rizes
theNLSA.
Thereis
aform
alpo
licydo
cumen
tthat
authorize
sthe
NLSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
3Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisno
tavailableto
thepu
blic.
Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisavailableto
the
public.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thereisno
plan
forN
LSAactivity
.4This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thereisagene
ralund
erstanding
that
the
NLSAwilltake
place.
There
isa
written
NLSA
plan
forthe
comingyears.
ENABLINGCONTEXT
2:Havingstrong
publicengagementforNLSA
Allstakeh
olde
rgrou
psstrongly
oppo
setheNLSAor
areindiffe
rent
toit.
Some
stakeholde
rgrou
psop
pose
the
NLSA.
Moststakeh
olde
rsgrou
pssupp
ortthe
NLSA.
5Allstakeho
lder
grou
pssupp
ortthe
NLSA.
(CONTINUE
D)
*
* *
*
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
30
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
3:HavingregularfundingforNLSA
There
isno
fund
ing
allocated
tothe
NLSA.
There
isirregular
fund
ingallocated
totheNLSA.
6Thereisregularfund
ingallocatedto
the
NLSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
covers
some
core
NLSA
activities:d
esign,administratio
n,analysis
andrepo
rting.
Fund
ingcovers
allcore
NLSA
activities:
desig
n,administratio
n,analysis
and
repo
rting.
7
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
does
notcoverresearch
and
developm
enta
ctivities.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
covers
research
and
developm
enta
ctivities.8
ENABLINGCONTEXT
4:Havingstrong
organizationalstructuresforNLSA
Thereis
noNLSAoffice,
adho
cun
itor
team
.TheNLSAofficeisatempo
rary
agen
cyor
grou
pof
peop
le.9
TheNLSAofficeisape
rmanen
tagen
cy,
institu
tionor
unit.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Political
considerations
regularly
hampe
rtechnicalcon
siderations
Political
considerations
sometim
eshampe
rtechn
icalconsiderations.1
0Po
litical
considerations
never
hampe
rtechnicalcon
siderations.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
TheNLSAofficeisno
taccoun
tableto
aclearly
recognize
dbo
dy.
The
NLSA
office
isaccoun
table
toa
clearly
recognize
dbo
dy.1
1This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
(CONTINUE
D)
*
*
**
**
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
31
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
5:Havingeffectivehuman
resourcesforNLSA
Thereisno
staffa
llocatedforrun
ning
anNLSA.
TheNLSAofficeis
inadeq
uately
staffed
toeffectivelycarryou
tthe
assessmen
t.TheNLSAofficeisadeq
uately
staffedto
carry
out
the
NLSA
effectively,
with
minim
alissue
s.12
TheNLSAofficeisadeq
uately
staffedto
carryou
ttheNLSA
effectively,
with
noissue
s.
Thecoun
trydo
esno
toffe
ropp
ortunitie
sthat
prep
are
individu
als
forwork
onNLSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thecoun
tryofferssomeop
portun
ities
toprep
are
individu
als
for
work
onthe
NLSA.
13
The
coun
try
offers
awide
range
ofop
portun
ities
toprep
areindividu
alsfor
workon
theNLSA.
* *
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
32
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT
Degree
towhich
theNLSAiscoherent
with
othercom
ponentso
fthe
educationsystem
.LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT1:
Aligning
theNLSA
with
learning
goals
Itis
notcleariftheNLSA
isbasedon
curriculum
orlearning
standards.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
TheNLSAmeasurespe
rformance
against
curriculum
orlearning
standards.
14This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Whatthe
NLSA
measuresis
gene
rally
questio
nedby
stakeh
olde
rgroup
s.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
WhattheNLSAmeasuresis
questio
ned
bysomestakeh
olde
rgroup
s.What
the
NLSA
measures
islargely
accepted
bystakeh
olde
rgroup
s.15
There
are
nomechanism
sin
place
toen
sure
that
the
NLSA
accurately
measures
what
itis
supp
osed
tomeasure.
Therearead
hocreview
sof
theNLSAto
ensure
that
itmeasures
what
itis
intend
edto
measure.1
6
Thereareregularinternalreview
sof
the
NLSAto
ensure
that
itmeasureswhatit
isintend
edto
measure.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT2:
Providingteacherswith
opportunitiestolearnabouttheNLSA
Thereareno
coursesor
worksho
pson
theNLSA.
There
are
occasio
nal
courses
orworksho
pson
theNLSA.
17Therearesomecoursesor
worksho
pson
theNLSAofferedon
aregularb
asis.
Therearewidelyavailablehigh
quality
courses
orworksho
pson
the
NLSA
offeredon
aregularb
asis.
*
*
* *
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
33
ASSESSMENTQUALITY
Degree
towhich
theNLSAmeetstechnicalstand
ards,isfair,an
disused
inan
effectiveway.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ASSESSMENTQUALITY1:
Ensuring
thequality
oftheNLSA
No
optio
nsare
offered
toinclud
eall
grou
psof
stud
entsintheNLSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Atleaston
eop
tionisofferedto
includ
eallgroup
sofstude
ntsintheNLSA.
18Diffe
rent
optio
nsareofferedto
includ
eallgroup
sofstude
ntsintheNLSA.
There
are
nomechanism
sin
place
toen
sure
thequ
ality
oftheNLSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Therearesomemechanism
sin
placeto
ensure
thequ
ality
oftheNLSA.
19There
are
avarie
tyof
mechanism
sin
placeto
ensure
thequ
ality
oftheNLSA.
There
isno
technicalrepo
rtor
othe
rdo
cumen
tatio
nabou
tthe
NLSA.
20Thereissomedo
cumen
tatio
nabou
tthe
technicalaspe
ctsof
theNLSA,
butitis
notinaform
alrepo
rtform
at.
There
isa
compreh
ensiv
etechnical
repo
rtbu
twith
restrictedcirculation.
Thereis
acompreh
ensiv
e,high
quality
technicalrep
ortavailableto
thegene
ral
public.
ASSESSMENTQUALITY2:
Ensuring
effectiveusesoftheNLSA
NLSAresults
areno
tdissem
inated
.NLSAresults
arepo
orlydissem
inated
.21NLSA
results
are
dissem
inated
inan
effectiveway.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
NLSAinform
ationisno
tused
orisused
inwaysinconsisten
twith
thepu
rposes
orthe
technicalcharacteristicsof
the
assessmen
t.22
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
NLSA
results
are
used
bysome
stakeh
olde
rgrou
psin
away
that
isconsisten
twith
the
purposes
and
technical
characteristics
ofthe
assessmen
t.
NLSA
inform
ation
isused
byall
stakeh
olde
rgrou
psin
away
that
isconsisten
twith
the
purposes
and
technical
characteristics
ofthe
assessmen
t.There
are
nomechanism
sin
place
tomon
itorthe
conseq
uences
oftheNLSA.
23This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Therearesomemechanism
sin
placeto
mon
itorthe
conseq
uences
oftheNLSA.
There
are
avarie
tyof
mechanism
sin
place
tomon
itorthe
conseq
uences
oftheNLSA.
* *
* * *
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
34
National(ofSystem
Level)LargeScaleAssessment(NLSA)
1.TheMeasurin
gLearning
Achievem
entw
asadministered
forthe
firsttim
ein19
94,and
hass
ince
been
operatingon
anirregular
basis
.Itcon
tinue
dto
beim
plem
entedin19
95,199
7,20
03,and
2012
,eachyear
assessingadiffe
rent
gradeleveland
diffe
rent
seto
fsub
jects.Inthelatestassessmen
t(20
1220
13),
theNLSAmeasuredtheed
ucationalachievemen
tofgrade
s4and7inthesubjectsof
Arabic,French,English
,and
Mathe
matics.
2.Thereisno
policydo
cumen
tpe
rtaining
toNLSA.
Tocond
uctanatio
nallarge
scaleassessmen
t,theCe
ntre
forEd
ucationalR
esearchandDe
velopm
ent
(CER
D)mustsub
mitaprop
osalto,and
receiveapprovalfrom
theMinister
ofEd
ucation.
3.Thisop
tiondo
esno
tapp
lyto
thisdimen
sionas
thereisno
policydo
cumen
tpertainingto
NLSA.
4.Thereisno
plan
forN
LSAactiv
ity.
5.Whilepo
licym
akersa
nded
ucatorssup
portthenatio
nallarge
scaleassessmen
tprogram
,itisu
nclear
towhate
xten
tother
stakeh
olde
rgroup
ssup
portit.
6.Thereisirregular
fund
ingallocatedto
thenatio
nallarge
scaleassessmen
tbythebu
dget
oftheCe
nter
forE
ducatio
nalResearchandDe
velopm
ent.
7.Fund
ingcoversallcoreNLSAactiv
ities
(design,administratio
n,analysis,
andrepo
rting),asw
ellasstafftraining.
8.Fund
ingcoversresearch
andde
velopm
enta
ctivities.
9.TheNLSAofficeiscomprise
dof
agrou
pof
peop
letempo
rarilyassig
nedto
carryou
tthe
assessmen
texercise
.
10.P
oliticalcon
siderations
sometim
eshampe
rtechn
icalconsiderations.
11. T
heNLSAofficeisaccoun
tableto
theCe
ntralInspe
ctorate,
which
isamon
itorin
gbo
dy,a
ndto
aspecialissue
scommittee
mandatedby
theCe
nter
for
EducationalResearchandDe
velopm
ent.
12.T
heNLSAofficeiscompo
sedof
mainlytempo
rary
orparttim
estaff.Noissue
shavebe
eniden
tifiedwith
theirp
erform
ance.
13.O
nlyfund
ingop
portun
ities
forattend
inginternationalprogramsor
coursesor
worksho
psin
educationmeasuremen
tandevaluatio
nareavailablein
Lebano
nforp
reparin
gindividu
alsfor
workon
theNLSA.
14.T
heNLSAmeasuresp
erform
ance
againstn
ationalcurriculum
orlearning
standards.
15.W
hatthe
NLSAmeasuresislargelyaccepted
bystakeh
olde
r group
s.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
35
16.T
here
aread
hocreview
softhe
NLSAto
ensure
that
itmeasuresw
hatitisinten
dedto
measure.
17.T
here
areoccasio
nalcou
rses,w
orksho
ps,orp
resentations
ontheNLSA.
18.O
ptions
toinclud
eallstude
ntsgrou
psinthenatio
nal large
scaleassessmen
texercise
includ
especialplans
toen
sure
that
theassessmen
tisadministered
tostud
entsinhard
toreachareasa
swellaso
fferin
gthelargescaleassessmen
tinthelanguage
ofinstructionform
oststude
ntgrou
ps.
19.T
hemechanism
sthat
arein
placeto
ensure
thequ
ality
oftheNLSAaretraining
allp
roctorsor
administrators
accordingto
protocol,h
avingastandardize
dmanualfor
largescaleassessmen
tadministrators,c
ondu
ctingapilotbe
fore
themaindata
collectiontakesplace,
having
allb
ookletsnu
mbe
red,
doub
leprocessin
gof
data,and
having
internalreview
ersor
observers.Ho
wever,d
iscrepanciesareno
trecorde
don
astandard
sheet.Th
ereisalso
nodo
ubledata
scoring,externalreview
erso
robservers,ore
xternalcertificationor
audit.
20.T
here
isno
technicalrep
orto
rother
documen
tatio
nabou
tthe
NLSA.
21.R
eports
with
NLSAresults
areavailableforalls
takeho
lder
grou
ps,as
wellas
mainrepo
rtscontaining
inform
ationon
overall a
chievemen
tlevels
and
subgroup
s.Th
erearealso
worksho
psor
presen
tatio
nsfork
eystakeh
olde
rson
theresults.H
owever,rep
ortsdo
notcon
taininform
ationon
tren
dsover
time
overalland
fors
ubgrou
psor
standard
errors.Ad
ditio
nally,the
reisno
med
iabriefin
gor
coverage
todiscussor
featureNLSAresults,a
ndtheNLSAresults
areno
tdissem
inated
with
in12
mon
thsa
fter
thelargescaleassessmen
tisa
dministered
.
22.N
LSAinform
ationisno
tusedor
isused
inwaysincon
sistent
with
thepu
rposes
ofthetechnicalcharacteristicso
fthe
assessmen
t.
23.T
here
areno
mechanism
sinplaceto
mon
itorthe
conseq
uences
oftheNLSA.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
36
LEBANON
InternationalLarge
ScaleAssessment(ILSA)
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
37
ENABLINGCONTEXT
Overallfram
eworkof
policies,lead
ership,organ
izatio
nalstructures,fiscaland
human
resourcesinwhich
ILSA
takesp
lace
inacoun
tryor
system
andtheextent
towhich
that
fram
eworkiscond
uciveto,orsup
portiveof,ILSAactiv
ity.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
1:SettingclearpoliciesforILSA
Thecoun
try/system
hasno
tparticipated
inan
ILSA
inthelast10
years.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thecoun
try/system
hasparticipated
inat
leasto
neILSA
inthelast10
years.
Thecoun
try/system
hasparticipated
intw
oor
moreILSA
inthelast10
years.1
The
coun
try/system
has
not
taken
concrete
step
stoparticipateinan
ILSA
inthene
xt5years.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thecoun
try/system
hastakenconcrete
step
stoparticipateinat
leasto
neILSA
inthene
xt5years.
2
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
There
isno
policy
documen
tthat
addressesp
articipationinILSA
.There
isan
inform
alor
draft
policy
documen
tthata
ddresses
participationin
ILSA
.
Thereis
aform
alpo
licydo
cumen
tthat
addressesp
articipationinILSA
.3This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisno
tavailableto
thepu
blic.4
Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisavailableto
the
public.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
ENABLINGCONTEXT
2:HavingregularfundingforILSA
Thereis
nofund
ingforparticipationin
ILSA
.Thereis
fund
ingfrom
loansor
external
dono
rs.5
There
isregularfund
ing
allocated
atdiscretio
n.Thereisregularfun
ding
approved
bylaw,
decree
orno
rm.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ingcovers
somecore
activ
ities
oftheILSA
.6Fund
ingcovers
allc
oreactivities
ofthe
ILSA
.This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
does
notcoverresearch
and
developm
enta
ctivities.7
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Fund
ing
covers
research
and
developm
enta
ctivities.
(CONTINUE
D)*
* *
* * *
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
38
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ENABLINGCONTEXT
3:Havingeffectivehuman
resourcesforILSA
There
isno
team
ornatio
nal/system
coordinator
tocarry
out
the
ILSA
activities.
There
isa
team
ornatio
nal/system
coordinator
tocarry
out
the
ILSA
activities.
There
isa
team
and
natio
nal/system
coordinator
tocarry
out
the
ILSA
activities.8
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
natio
nal/system
coordinator
orothe
rdesignatedteam
mem
berm
ayno
tbe
fluen
tin
the
language
ofthe
assessmen
t.
Thenatio
nal/system
coordinatorisfluen
tinthelanguage
oftheassessmen
t.9
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
TheILSA
officeisinadeq
uatelystaffedor
traine
dto
carry
out
the
assessmen
teffectively.
TheILSA
officeis
adeq
uately
staffedor
traine
dto
carryou
ttheILSA
effectively,
with
minim
alissue
s.
TheILSA
officeisadeq
uatelystaffedand
traine
dto
carryou
ttheILSA
effectively,
with
noissue
s.10
* *
*
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
39
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT
Degree
towhich
theILSA
meetstechnicalqua
litystan
dards,isfair,
andisused
inan
effectiveway.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
SYSTEM
ALIGNMENT1:
ProvidingopportunitiestolearnaboutILSA
The
ILSA
team
has
not
attend
edinternationalw
orksho
psor
meetin
gs.
The
ILSA
team
attend
edsome
internationalw
orksho
psor
meetin
gs.
TheILSA
team
attend
edallinternatio
nal
worksho
psor
meetin
gs.1
1This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
coun
try/system
offers
noop
portun
ities
tolearnabou
tILSA.
12This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
The
coun
try/system
offers
some
oppo
rtun
ities
tolearnabou
tILSA.
Thecoun
try/system
offers
awiderange
ofop
portun
ities
tolearnabou
tILSA.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
13This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Opp
ortunitie
sto
learn
abou
tILSA
are
availableto
thecoun
try's/system
'sILSA
team
mem
berson
ly.
Opp
ortunitie
sto
learn
abou
tILSA
are
availableto
awideaudien
ce,inadditio
nto
the
coun
try's/system
'sILSA
team
mem
bers.
*
**
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
40
ASSESSMENTQUALITY
Degree
towhich
theILSA
meetstechnicalqua
litystan
dards,isfair,
andisused
inan
effectiveway.
LATENT
EMERGING
ESTABLISHED
ADVANCED
ASSESSMENTQUALITY1:
Ensuring
thequality
ofILSA
Data
from
the
ILSA
has
not
been
publish
ed.
The
coun
try/system
met
sufficien
tstandardsto
have
itsdata
presen
ted
bene
ath
the
main
display
ofthe
internationalrep
orto
rinan
anne
x.14
The
coun
try/system
met
alltechnical
standards
requ
ired
tohave
itsdata
presen
ted
inthe
main
displays
ofthe
internationalrep
ort.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thecoun
try/system
hasno
tcontrib
uted
newknow
ledgeon
ILSA
.15
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Thecoun
try/system
hascontrib
uted
new
know
ledgeon
ILSA
.
ASSESSMENTQUALITY2:
Ensuring
effectiveusesofILSA
Ifany,
coun
try/system
specific
results
andinform
ationareno
tdissem
inated
inthecoun
try/system
.16
Coun
try/system
specific
results
and
inform
ationaredissem
inated
irregularly
inthecoun
try/system
.
Coun
try/system
specific
results
and
inform
ationareregularly
dissem
inated
inthecoun
try/system
.
Coun
try/system
specific
results
and
inform
ation
are
regularly
and
widely
dissem
inated
inthecoun
try/system
.
Prod
ucts
toprovidefeed
back
toscho
ols
anded
ucatorsabou
tthe
ILSA
results
are
notm
adeavailable.
17
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Prod
ucts
toprovidefeed
back
toscho
ols
anded
ucatorsabou
tthe
ILSA
results
are
sometim
esmadeavailable.
Prod
ucts
toprovidefeed
back
toscho
ols
and
educators
abou
tILSA
results
are
system
aticallymadeavailable.
Thereisno
med
iacoverage
oftheILSA
results.1
8Thereis
limite
dmed
iacoverage
ofthe
ILSA
results.
There
issome
med
iacoverage
ofthe
ILSA
results.
Thereiswidemed
iacoverage
oftheILSA
results.
Ifany,
coun
try/system
specific
results
andinform
ationfrom
theILSA
areno
tused
toinform
decisio
nmakingin
the
coun
try/system
.19
Results
from
the
ILSA
are
used
ina
limite
dway
toinform
decisio
nmakingin
thecoun
try/system
.
Results
from
theILSA
areused
insome
waysto
inform
decisio
nmakingin
the
coun
try/system
.
Results
from
the
ILSA
are
used
ina
varie
tyof
ways
toinform
decisio
nmakinginthecoun
try/system
.
Itis
notclearthat
decisio
nsbasedon
ILSA
results
have
hadapo
sitiveim
pact
onstud
ents'achievemen
tlevels.20
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
This
optio
ndo
esno
tapply
tothis
dimen
sion.
Decisio
nsbasedon
theILSA
results
have
had
apo
sitive
impact
onstud
ents'
achievem
entlevels.
*
* ** * * *
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
41
InternationalLargeScaleAssessment(ILSA)
1.Inthelast10
years,Lebano
nhasp
articipated
inTIMSS
in20
03,200
7,and20
11,and
inPA
SECin20
09.
2.Lebano
nhastaken
concrete
step
stoparticipateinPISA
andTIMSS
in20
15.
3.Theform
alpo
licydo
cumen
tthat
addressesparticipationin
ILSA
sistheLetter
from
theHe
adof
theCenter
forEducationa
lResearchan
dDe
velopm
ent,
authorize
dby
theMinistry
ofEducationandHigher
Educationon
February
2,20
11.
4.Thepo
licydo
cumen
tisn
otavailableto
thepu
blic.
5.Fund
ingfortheILSA
isprovided
bytheregularbu
dget
ofthegovernmen
t,allocatedat
thediscretio
nof
theCe
ntre
forEducationalRe
search
and
Developm
ent,andfrom
loanso
rexternaldon
ors.
6.Fund
ingforparticipatingin
TIMSS
2011
covers
internationalparticipationfees,im
plem
entatio
nof
theassessmen
texercise
inLebano
n(e.g.,printin
gbo
oklets,travel toscho
ols),p
rocessingandanalyzingdata
collected
from
implem
entatio
nof
theassessmen
texercise,a
ndattend
ance
atinternational
expe
rtmeetin
gsforthe
assessmen
texercise
.How
ever,fun
ding
does
notcover
repo
rtinganddissem
inatingtheassessmen
tresultsinLebano
n.
7.Fund
ingdo
esno
tcover
research
andde
velopm
enta
ctivities.
8.Thereisateam
andnatio
nalcoo
rdinator
tocarryou
tthe
ILSA
activ
ities.
9.Thenatio
nalcoo
rdinator
isflu
entinthelanguage
ofassessmen
t.
10.T
henatio
nalcoo
rdinator
hasasufficien
tlystaffedteam
that
hasprevious
expe
rienceworking
oninternationalassessm
entsandne
cessarytraining
tocarry
outthe
requ
iredassessmen
tactivities
effectively.Th
enatio
nal coo
rdinator
isflu
entinthelanguage
inwhich
theinternationallevelmeetin
gsarecond
ucted
andrelateddo
cumen
tatio
nisavailable.Noissue
swereiden
tifiedwith
thecarrying
outo
fTIM
SS20
11inthecoun
try.
11.T
heILSA
team
attend
edallinternatio
nalw
orksho
psandmeetin
gsrelatedto
theassessmen
t.
12.Thereareno
oppo
rtun
ities
tolearnabou
tILSAinLebano
n.
13.T
hiso
ptiondo
esno
tapp
lyto
thisdimen
sionbe
causeno
oppo
rtun
ities
tolearnabou
tILSAs
areofferedinLebano
n.
14.L
ebanon
met
sufficien
tstand
ards
tohave
itsdata
presen
tedbe
neaththemaindisplayof
theinternationalrep
orto
rinan
anne
x.
SYSTEM
SAP
PROAC
HFO
RBE
TTER
EDUCA
TIONRE
SULTS
42
15.L
ebanon
hasn
otcontrib
uted
newknow
ledgeon
ILSA
.
16.C
ountry
specificresults
andinform
ationareno
tdissem
inated
inLebano
nandhave
only
been
publish
edin
theinternationalrep
ort.Thereareplansto
publish
anatio
nalrep
ortinLebano
n.
17.P
rodu
ctstoprovidefeed
back
toscho
olsa
nded
ucatorsa
bout
theILSA
results
areno
tmadeavailable.
18.T
here
isno
med
iacoverage
oftheILSA
results.
19.W
hile
itisplanne
dfortheILSA
results
tobe
used
toinform
curriculum
improvem
ent,teache
rtraining
programs,andothe
rassessmen
tactiv
ities
inthe
system
, resultsfrom
theILSA
have
notb
eenused
toinform
decisio
nmakingat
thenatio
nallevel.
20.Itisn
otclearthatd
ecision
sbased
onILSA
results
have
hadapo
sitiveim
pacton
stud
ents'achievemen
tlevels.
LEBANON SABER STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2013
SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS43
Acknowledgements
This report, part of a 16 country benchmarking exercisein the Middle East & North Africa and Africa regions,was prepared by the World Bank SABER StudentAssessment team, in partnership with the Arab LeagueEducational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization(ALECSO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific,and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which led datacollection efforts. This effort is part of the Arab RegionalAgenda for Improving Education Quality (ARAIEQ) led byALECSO in partnership with the World Bank. It benefitedfrom feedback and review from Juan Manuel Moreno,Lead Education Specialist and Task Team Leader foreducation projects in Lebanon at the World Bank, staffat the Education Sector Development Secretariat (ESDS)at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education inLebanon, as well as comments received during anational validation workshop held in Lebanon.
References
Clarke, M. 2012. “What Matters Most for StudentAssessment Systems: A Framework Paper.”
READ/SABER Working Paper Series. Washington, DC:World Bank.
World Bank. 2010. Country Partnership Strategy forLebanon for the Period FY11 FY14. Report No. 54690LB. Washington, DC: World Bank.
———. Lebanon Country Indicator Data. Washington,DC: World Bank. Data retrieved fromhttp://data.worldbank.org/ on October 10, 2013.
LEBANON SABER STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2013
SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS2
The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiativeproduces comparative data and knowledge on education policies andinstitutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthentheir education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of educationpolicies against evidence based global standards, using new diagnostictools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give allparties with a stake in educational results—from administrators,teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—anaccessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of theircountry's education system are oriented toward ensuring that allchildren and youth learn.
This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of studentassessment.
This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, andconclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, orthe governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. Theboundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on thepart of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
THE WORLD BANK
www.worldbank.org/education/saber