National Assessment and Examinations Center

Azerbaijani delegation visited the NAEC to Discuss Ongoing Cooperation and Future Partnership Prospects

Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center hosted Vali Hussein, Head of the Strategy Department of the State Examination Center of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Elnur Abbasov, Head of Law, Civil Service Policy and State Strategy Division.

For the third year in a row, the National Assessment and Examinations Center has been assisting the SEC to develop Georgian language and literature exam materials for schools in the Republic of Azerbaijan for the 9th and 11th grade students. For its part, the State Examinations Center of the Republic of Azerbaijan together with the NAEC’s experts has developed an item bank for Teachers’ Professional Examination in Azerbaijani language and literature. The following exam will be conducted by the NAEC for the first time this year.

The meeting also touched upon the existing challenges in the field of assessment and future plans. The National Assessment and Examinations Center plans to further enhance cooperation with its Azerbaijani counterparts in the near future.

NAEC’s Open-Door Day in Marneuli

The National Assessment and Examinations Center organized an open-door day for the twelfth graders of Marneuli Municipality schools. Ms. Maia Gabunia, the Head of the Center’s Exam Process Management Service, visited the fifth public school to discuss upcoming Unified National Examinations.

The meeting focused on the examination procedures, registration issues, as well as the recommendations that the examinees should consider both before and during the exams. At the open-door day, the entrants received comprehensive information about the Georgian language training program.

“It was a very informative meeting. It covered all of the hot topics regarding the upcoming exams. I have chosen psychology as my future profession. The closer the exam time is, the more the tension increases and it is very natural. Despite the pandemic, my peers and I have tried hard- we will do our best to reach our goals. My advice for entrants is to worry less and be more confident in themselves.”

*Elene Bochoidze – Student of Marneuli Public School N5*

The National Assessment and Examinations Center has been hosting open-door days for entrants since December. Due to the pandemic, meetings were held in electronic format. The link was public and accessible to all interested parties. For 6 months, the test takers had the opportunity to attend online meetings every week and get answers regarding the upcoming exams directly from NAEC’s subject experts.

Another Year of Successful Partnership between the National Assessment and Examinations Center (NAEC) and the State Examination Center of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SEC)

Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, the Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center (NAEC), and Maleika Abbaszadeh, Chairperson of the State Examinations Center (SEC) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed another Memorandum of Understanding electronically.

The aim of the cooperation is to develop assessment instruments for Georgian and Azerbaijani language proficiency.

The Director of the NAEC Ms. Sophia Gorgodze and the Deputy Directors Mr. Kakha Jamburia and Mr. Levan Sabauri e-meting the colleagues from the SEC for the official signature ceremony.

Due to this partnership the first Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination will be conducted this year for Azerbaijani language and literature teachers working in Georgian schools.

Ms. Maleika Abbaszadeh, Chairperson of the State Examinations Center (SEC) of the Republic of Azerbaijan signing the MoU with the NAEC online.

Collaboration between the centers started in the spring of 2020. Under the Memorandum the NAEC’s experts have been reviewing and developing the SEC’s Georgian language item bank for school-leaving exams. The SEC on the other hand has been assisting the Center in the development of an item bank for Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination for Azerbaijani language and literature teachers working in Georgian schools.

The National School Olympiad 2021-2022 has Concluded

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.

The finalists of the National School Olympiad 2021-2022 have shared views and pieces of advice to their peers and future participants.

“I made up my mind to participate in the Olympiad to demonstrate my mathematical abilities. The process went very smoothly, we took the tests in a peaceful and quiet environment which met all of the Covid-19 regulations. This is not my first time participating in the Olympiads, but this is my first time in the finals. This is very uplifting for me because even getting to the finals means a lot. I definitely urge my fellow students to try. “
Ia Goglidze

“Winning the National School Olympiad gives us a “golden ticket” to the International Olympiads. The Georgian team is formed by the winners at the national level – this is an extraordinary opportunity that we should all use. This type of contests increase healthy competition among students, develop a desire to be better, to achieve better results both at a school level and across the country. This is my second time participating. If I get another chance, I will get involved in the future. I would like to say to those who are considering to participate in the next National School Olympiad: nothing is impossible or even difficult if you set your mind to it.”
Zaza Elizbarashvili

“I took part in the National School Olympiad to test out my abilities. The testing process during all three rounds have been administered efficiently and I am personally very grateful to the NAEC’s team of professionals. I’d like to encourage other students to explore and review the resources carefully, try their best and believe in themselves.
Giorgi Japaridze

“As you know, the winner of the German Language Olympiad will travel to Hamburg to participate in the International Olympiad. Of course, winning and going there is my great desire, however I am participating for the first time this year and the fact that I am in the third round is already a great success for me. Reviewing the last year’s sample tests published at naec.ge helped me a lot in preparation. I advise everyone to try, this experience will surely be useful for further development.”
Nutsa Kakhaia

“I am in the tenth grade; therefore, this is my first National School Olympiad. I am taking a German language test – today is the third round. My main motivation for participating was to gain new experience.
Participation in the Olympiads will be especially useful for those students who plan to continue their studies abroad. I think it improves the ability to learn, get used to exams and network with other children. There’s no need for special preparation for the Olympiad – it is not necessary at all. I followed the school curriculum. The main thing is to trust yourself and write with confidence. “
Mariam Burduli

“I am satisfied with my results so far. I want to continue my studies abroad and it will be a kind of a preparation for future exams, both psychologically and practically. My advice to students is to take part in similar competitions, try and never be afraid to test themselves. “
Giorgi Baregiani

Registration for the Unified National Examinations 2022 has Started

Online registration for the Unified National Examinations started today at 10:00 AM. Eligible applicants should register at online.naec.ge until the 4^th of April 18:00 PM.

The Unified National Examinations are centralized, high-stakes and computer based. The whole process is standardized, every procedure including test development, administration, marking and appellation is in compliance with established regulations and applicants are in equal conditions. By means of valid, fair, and reliable educational assessment the NAEC contributes to the improvement of the quality of education in Georgia.

The director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center sat down with media to discuss the registration procedures. Dr. Sophia Gorgodze encouraged the entrants to pay attention to the registration regulations and deadlines highlighted at the NAEC’s annual “Guideline for Entrants”.

*Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, Director of the NAEC*

The document includes a list of educational programs, frequently asked questions, news and all the important topics related to the upcoming examination process.

The registration process for entrants will be held in several stages this year as well:

Stage One:

The entrant should fill in personal data, choose the city of the exam, the subjects to be taken and, if necessary, mark the need for special conditions;

Stage Two:

Entrants will be able to change or add the subject, as well as the language of the exam until 18:00 on April 14;

Stage Three:

Examinees will have an opportunity to make changes to the list of educational programs until the day after the announcement of the results of the appeal.

Registration Instruction in Georgian

For further information regarding the procedures, fees and other relevant issues please visit:

Our web page: www.naec.ge

An online platform: online.naec.ge

Facebook page

Also, feel free to contact the NAEC’s Hotline at: (032) 2473333.

And last but not least, Good luck to all the applicants!

“Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do”
Benjamin Spock

Annual Report 2021

2021 has been a year of unprecedented challenges for the National Assessment and Examinations Centre, and the examination process turned out to be the longest in the history of the Centre.

Training thousands of people involved in exam preparation, carefully complying with healthcare guidelines, creating a safe, well-structured and efficient environment for up to 85,000 examinees and re-adapting human and technical resources in case of emergency are just a few of the activities performed by the devoted staff members of the NAEC.

Due to the pandemic and in the best interest of examinees, the centre, together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, decided to offer additional sessions to those applicants who were unable to sit examinations due to a confirmed diagnosis of Covid 19. The National Assessment and Examinations Centre managed to plan and conduct the examination process twice within a short period of time.

Additional sessions were scheduled for more than 600 participants after the completion of the main sessions. More than 170 teachers and candidate teachers, 200 entrants, about 190 participants in the general master’s exams and up to 60 students registered for the student grant competition took up this opportunity. The applicants were allowed to sit additional exam sessions 14 days after recovery. The participants of the specific examination session were identified on the basis of information provided by the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health. Subject experts created different versions of the tests specifically for additional sessions.

*Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Centre*

Looking back at the major highlights of the 2021 it is obvious that success is not determined by the quantity and complexity of the challenges we solve, but by teamwork, professionalism, willingness and ability to accomplish the task – I extend my sincere gratitude towards each and every employee of the Centre.
Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, the Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Centre.

Annual Report 2021 can be downloaded from here:Download

NAEC’s Participation in the 9th International Research Conference (IRC)

Dr. Sophia Gorgodze represented the NAEC at the 9^th IEA International Research Conference (IRC) which took place on 16-18 November 2021 at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

*Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, the Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center at IRC 2021*

IRC is an international forum for researchers working with IEA data to exchange ideas and information on critical educational issues. The conference takes place every two years and is hosted by IEA partner institutions. The conference provides an important opportunity for researchers and practitioners to discuss IEA studies and to learn from secondary analyses of published results.

The 9^th IEA International Research Conference (IRC) was dedicated to the theme “Researching Education: Trends and Changes”. Keynote speakers were Dr. Rabbaa Al Sumaiti, Assistant Undersecretary, UAE Ministry of Education and Dr. Matthias von Davier, Executive Director, International Study Center Boston College, USA.

The conference provided the opportunity to meet colleagues and friends, engage in interesting and fruitful discussions and advance explorations and understanding of educational attainment in its context, the roles and needs of education stakeholders, and options for improved education globally.

Each session included several presentations organized around themes related to one or more of the IEA studies (such as ICCS, ICILS, PIRLS, TIMSS), methodology and analysis in large-scale assessment, learning and teaching practice in international education, using IEA data for evaluation or development at national and regional levels, and the policy implications of research.

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.

Partnership with Armenia

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Ekaterine Dgebuadze and the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia Artur Martirosyan with the objective of promoting cooperation in language assessment instruments in Armenian and Georgian languages.

The First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia **Ekaterine Dgebuadze** and the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia **Artur Martirosyan**

The parties endeavor to exchange experience on improving the system of training and assessment of teachers of the two countries, therefore the MoU highlights the future partnership prospects for the National Assessment and Examinations Center and the Assessment and Testing Center, acting under the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia.

*Kakha Jamburia, Deputy Direqtor of the National Assessment and Examinations Center*

The Assessment and Testing Center will provide assistance to the NAEC for the development of an item bank consisting of 100 tasks for Teachers’ Professional Qualifying Examination for Armenian language and literature teachers working in Georgian schools. The National Assessment and Examinations Center will contribute to the development of the current assessment services and practices in Armenia.

This mutually beneficial collaboration is expected to bring positive and long-lasting effects on both organizations and result in the development, transfer and implementation of innovative practices at organizational, local, regional or national levels.

Reading in Georgia | PIRLS 2021 has Started

Some 5716 pupils and 261 teachers from 192 schools will represent Georgia in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 during October 11 – 20.

Dr. Sophia Gorgodze, the Director of the National Assessment and Examinations Center discussed the ongoing PIRLS 2021 Study in Georgia

PIRLS is an international assessment of reading comprehension, which follows four years of primary schooling. The International Reading Literacy Study is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in up to 60 countries and 15 regions around the world. Georgia has been involved in this study since 2006 and has since participated in the 2011 and 2016 studies.

The NAEC is responsible for administering the study locally with the support of school principals and teachers.

This year PIRLS will focus on reading objectives and comprehension process. 4 important components of the reading comprehension process will be evaluated: finding and understanding the information given in the test assignment; making conclusions from the text; interpreting thoughts and information and integrating with existing knowledge; evaluating and critical understanding of the content and textual elements.

Currently, the PIRLS definition of reading literacy is as follows:
“Reading literacy is the ability to understand and use those written language forms
required by society and/or valued by the individual. Readers can construct meaning
from texts in a variety of forms. They read to learn, to participate in communities of
readers in school and everyday life, and for enjoyment.”

The study aims to collect considerable background information from the assessed 9-10-year-old students, their parents, teachers and school principals on how education systems provide educational opportunities to their students, as well as the factors that influence how students use these opportunities. Background data include information about: national curriculum policies in reading; how the education system is organized to facilitate learning; students’ home environment for learning; school climate and resources; and how instruction actually occurs in classrooms. Trend results across assessments permit countries to monitor the effectiveness of their educational systems in a global context.

The PIRLS assessment provides internationally comparable data about how well children read together with information on student home support for literacy, curriculum and curriculum implementation, instructional practices, and school resources.

The NAEC prepares national reports and disseminates them among policy makers and school community members. PIRLS results are discussed at National Education Conferences with teachers, school leaders, education specialists, researchers, and policy makers.