Education minister suspends national standardized test, bars assessment officials from ministry

By Stav Levaton

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Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel

Education Minister Yoav Kisch at the Ministry of Education in Jerusalem, in preparation for the opening of schools the following day, August 31, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Education Minister Yoav Kisch has ordered the temporary cancellation of Israel’s Meitzav exam, which tests language, math and science skills among fifth- and eighth-graders, and has barred officials from the body that manages the assessment, the National Authority for Educational Measurement and Evaluation (RAMA), from entering the Education Ministry, Hebrew media reports.

The exam normally takes place toward the end of the school year.

The move comes amid a bitter dispute between Kisch and the authority, following the publication of poor student performance results, and despite the findings of an independent review that praised RAMA’s professionalism and recommended closer cooperation with the ministry.

Kisch has called into question the reliability of the test results.

According to reports, the Education Ministry’s legal adviser challenged Kisch’s new decision during a meeting, telling him, “You cannot paralyze RAMA.” The ministry’s Director General Meir Shimoni insisted, however, that the minister’s directive would stand.

Kisch confirms the suspension of RAMA’s activities at the ministry, telling several outlets, “We cannot continue working in such a dysfunctional manner.”

Last month, the Education Ministry published the results of RAMA assessments showing that only 3% of ninth-grade students met the requirements of the national science curriculum, with another 16% coming close but falling short. The findings came alongside the release of Israel’s worst-ever scores on the global Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, with students performing below average in reading, mathematics and science.

Kisch blamed the results on the wars that were raging on multiple fronts when Israeli students took the PISA tests in mid-2025. At the time, Israel was fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Kisch says the suspension is temporary and intended to allow reforms recommended by the independent review to be implemented.