eAssessment – National Assessment and Examinations Center

“Assessment for Development” Pilot Testing

On Friday, the 5th an intensive pilot testing was successfully completed within the framework of the project “Assessment for Development”. Four days of testing started on the 2nd of May. Each day, up to 14,000 students from 770 public schools were involved in each session.

4th and 6th graders were tested in mathematics, as well as in Georgian language and literature. Pilot testing aimed to test the functionality and the test format of the e-assessment platform.

Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center visited the public school No 122 and observed the testing process on the spot. No errors were detected during the testing, the system proved to be fully functioning smoothly with 14 000 simultaneous entries.

The National Assessment and Examinations Center started working on the project “Assessment for Development” back in 2019. Since then, a number of pilots have been conducted in order to refine the electronic platform and the testing format, as well as adapt it to the needs of the school as much as possible.

The project “Assessment for Development” aims to assess the achievements of fourth and sixth graders in Georgian and mathematics. The testing is conducted entirely by electronic software: students complete the tasks electronically, and the results are also available electronically.

In the future, the project will give the school the opportunity to observe the trends in teaching and learning both at the individual class level and at the school level in general. In addition, the results will help students and parents gain information about students’ strengths and weaknesses. It should be noted that the obtained points are not reflected in the student’s annual assessment.

CERTUS – English Language Proficiency Testing

On Wednesday, the 19th the representatives of the public and private universities of Georgia got together at NAEC to discuss the partnership within the framework of the project “CERTUS”.

The National Assessment and Examinations Center’s assessment platform “CERTUS” is a great way to test English language proficiency and obtain a certificate in a flash.

During the presentation the author of the project, the Head of Foreign Languages Subject Group Rusudan Tkemaladze spoke about the contents of the test. According to Ms. Tkemaladze the test evaluates examinee’s level of grammatical structures, vocabulary, as well as reading, listening, speaking and writing skills.

The level of language proficiency is determined in accordance with the levels set by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – C1 (high) , B2 (above average), B1 (medium), A2 (below average), A1 (elementary).

The test consists of four parts:

1. Reading and use of English;

2. Listening;

3. Speaking;

4. Writing.

The examinee can take the test fully or partially. The parts of the test can be passed in any sequence.

“CERTUS” is a computer based test. Therefore, the results of reading comprehension and use of English will be revealed upon completion. However, the results of the speaking and listening parts will be known within 10 working days.

The CERTUS language proficiency certificate is recognized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia, as well as accredited private and public higher education institutions.

The registration for the very first “CERTUS” exam is now open.

National School Olympiad Results

National School Olympiad results are already available. 120 brightest minds from around 60 000 pupils have won the major national educational contest in twelve different subjects.

The National Assessment and Examinations Center has been organizing and administering National School Olympiads since 2009. The winners of the national rounds are typically awarded with diplomas and gifts. These students also compile teams for international Olympiads.

National School Olympiads are an excellent platform to hone the learning process of students. Olympiads improve the performance of students in a big way. These exams let in an optimistic approach in students. By participating in Olympiads, the students develop a natural aspiration to learn and gain knowledge.

The questions that come in National School Olympiads are mostly based on the syllabus of the school. The pattern of questions in this exam is somewhat different from that of the school. The students need to have a better and quicker ability to answer such questions.

More and more students are willing to participate in National School Olympiad. One of the reasons for these dynamics is the hybrid assessment model offered by NAEC. The first round of the Olympiad is held online giving all of the interested students an opportunity to try, while the second and the third rounds are administered in person.

“Putting PIRLS to Use in Classrooms Across the Globe” – Presentation

On Wednesday, the 25th, the presentation of an e-book was held at NAEC. The book “Putting PIRLS to Use in Classrooms Across the Globe” was prepared based on the materials of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).

IEA is an international cooperative of national research institutions, governmental research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to research, understand, and improve education worldwide. PIRLS, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, is one of the core studies of IEA. PIRLS provides internationally comparative data on how well children read and offers educators and policymakers key insights for improving learning and teaching. NAEC has been conducting PIRLS since 2006.

Dr. Gorgodze, along with her colleagues, and the IEA representatives Andrea Netten, Paulína Koršňáková and Laura Cheeseman presented important insights from the book. Primary level teachers attended the presentation which was followed by engaging discussions in two parallel sessions.

In the book, which is dedicated to reading strategies, the example of five countries, including Georgia (Bolnisi Municipality Vill Darbazi Public School & Public School # 2 in Akhalkaki), is given. The book includes the best practices from schools internationally and we are pleased that two schools from Georgia and their practices are among them.

This new resource will help teachers put the latest scientific approaches to reading comprehension into practice. The book is the first in the IEA series which aims to highlight and translate practical information derived from the association’s studies, using the data in a suitable way to give back to teachers.

The book “Putting PIRLS to Use in Classrooms Across the Globe” is available in Georgian.

The First Round of the National School Olympiad

The first round of the National School Olympiad of the 2022-2023 academic year was held electronically from December 9 to December 13.

Any student from grade 7 to grade 12 was eligible to participate remotely anytime during the set dates. The testing time was limited and counted by the special computer program. Tests with different level of difficulty was used in STEM subjects depending on the grades of the participants. However, the same level of difficulty was offered in humanities subjects. The items mostly focused on reasoning and problem solving as well as the general educational background of students.

More than 56 700 students took part in the first round of the of the National School Olympiad including pupils with special educational needs and convicted juveniles.

The second round of the Olympiad will be held in the examination centers and the first 1000 participants with 60% or above in the first round will be eligible. Only the brightest top 50 students in each subject will move to the third round and compete for the national award. Also, the winners of the National School Olympiad will group up for the international Olympiads in the relevant subjects.

The main goal of the Olympiad is to stimulate the learning process and raise the motivation of students.

NAEC is 20 years old! Anniversary conference

On Tuesday, November 22, National Assessment and Examinations Center held a conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of it’s establishment.

The conference was opened by the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli. Long time partners, the representatives of various state agencies, local and international organizations and individuals working in the field of education got together to recall NAEC’s history and hear about the future plans.

The organization, which made a significant contribution to the creation of a fair, transparent assessment system based on meritocratic principles, was founded in Georgia in 2002.

Initially the Center conducted examinations only for university entrants. However, due to hard work and devotion of the team the area of activity expanded soon afterwards.

Currently, NAEC conducts various types of exams, administers international educational research and consults local and foreign partner organizations on assessment and large scale, high stakes examinations.

The Center’s employees, most of whom have been working in the organization since its establishment, recalled the path taken by National Assessment and Examinations Center, the first exam process and the difficulties that accompanied the introduction of the new exam model.

At the conference, the Center also presented a project “Assessment for Development”. The goal of the project is to measure students’ achievements towards the national curriculum and track their progress.

It is worth mentioning that the item development, as well as registration, test delivery and marking is fully electronic. The results are aimed to help students and parents track the progress made during the learning process and get information about the weaknesses and strengths.

The second part of the conference was dedicated to themed discussions and presentations on the following topics:

“Assessment for Development”: implementation challenges and results;
Challenges related to scientific (STEM) careers and professional choices of 15-year-old students;
TIMSS 2019 – analysis of student responses according to content and cognitive areas;
Differences and achievement gaps between the students at the primary level in Georgia.

The event concluded with a summary of the discussions.

“Assessment for Development” – Project Workshop

The National Assessment and Examinations Center organized a workshop for school principals and teachers of Vake-Saburtalo and Old Tbilisi districts within the framework of the project “Assessment for Development”.

The event was held at the 55th Public School. Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center, and Dr. Eka Jeladze, Project Manager, discussed the test results with representatives of the schools involved in the project. The participants of the meeting once again received detailed information about the electronic platform of the report and its specifics.

The last large-scale pilot test for the electronic platform was conducted in more than 500 public schools throughout Georgia within the framework of the following project in May. Both Georgian and mathematics tests were taken by 5,000 to 7,000 students on each day of the testing. Students and parents, as well as teachers and principals, have recently received detailed diagnostic evaluation results. In order to better understand the electronic system and, in particular, the report module, the National Assessment and Examinations Center plans to conduct meetings for other schools involved in the project.

Explore more about “Assessment for Development” project here.

Registration for the National School Olympiad 2021-2022

The registration process for the National School Olympiad 2021-2022 started today and will conclude on the 26^th of November 18:00 PM.

The 10-12 grade students who are willing to participate in this year’s Olympiad should contact school administration and register formally according to the specific age group in each subject.

The List of Subjects

Georgian language and literature,

Georgian language for students of non-Georgian language schools,

Mathematics, History, Geography,

Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Foreign language.

The National School Olympiad will be held in three rounds and each round will be based on the National Curriculum. The student who accumulates not less than 60% of the maximum score of the relevant subject test and is among the top 1000 participants of the relevant class and subject ranking list will be eligible to pass to the second round of the National School Olympiad 2021-2022.

The purpose of the Olympiad is to stimulate the learning process and increase the motivation of students. Also, to identify candidates for the teams that will participate in the International Olympiads on behalf of Georgia.

Vocational Testing will be Conducted on the 13th and 14th of September in Tbilisi

After successfully conducting the first round of vocational examinations in the regions the NAEC will host applicants in six fully equipped Exam Centers in Tbilisi.

A total of more than 10 000 applicants have registered for the 2021 vocational testing, more than 5 200 of them will take exams in Tbilisi.

On the 13^th of September the Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Tamar Kitiashvili and the Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center Sophia Gorgodze observed the process in one of the examination centers in Tbilisi.

Vocational testing is computer adaptive, therefore, each applicant has an opportunity to demonstrate his/her competence and learn the results once the exam is concluded. Vocational exams are conducted in the following subjects:

General Abilities – 50 points (2 hours);
Biology – 30 points (1.5 hours);
Chemistry – 30 points (1.5 hours).

The minimum competency threshold is 15% of the maximum score in each subject.

An online tryout testing was conducted on the 12^th of September. The registered applicants were given an opportunity to learn about the features of the program and sample test assignments remotely/from home.

As in 2020 in 2021 the examination process is carried out in full compliance with the recommendations set by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia.

Call for Local IT Consultant to support NAEC

UNDP/Governance Reform Fund announces call for Local IT Consultant to support LEPL the National Assessment and Examinations Centre (NAEC) in ICT Infrastructure and software Architecture. Details can be found here.

Location :	Tbilisi, GEORGIA
Application Deadline :	here.
	Details can be found here.
Additional Category :	Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding
Type of Contract :	Individual Contract
Post Level :	National Consultant
Languages Required :	English
Expected Duration of Assignment :	Up to 60 working days within period of August-December 2021

Details can be found here.