Assessment

The State of Qatar has adopted an ambitious educational reform program that is designed to give Qatari students the necessary skills and knowledge that are required for pursuing advanced studies in Qatar and abroad and provide the state with qualified human resources for the local job market.

While most educational reforms naturally focus on curricular and administrative improvements, it is imperative that they also include a highly innovative evaluation component to ensure that decision makers have access to high-quality, objective information.

In the Qatari educational reform effort, such information is collected and disseminated by the Evaluation Institute through the annual Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment (QCEA) in the subject matters of Arabic, English, mathematics and science. The QCEA is based on the Qatar Curriculum Standards, which set a very high goal and compare with the best and most demanding educational standards worldwide.

The QCEA, however, is only one part in a comprehensive assessment system. Another role is played by classroom based tests developed by teachers. The third component consists of international assessments that allow for the comparison of the performance of Qatari students with those in other countries. The Evaluation Institute oversees the implementation of all three major international assessments in Qatar: