10th grade\kitah yud

According to new regulations by the Ministry of Education, there will no longer be official bagrut exams in 10th grade. (Schools may be able to give their own internal bagrut exams this year - ask the yoetzet (advisor) for more information about your school.) Instead, this year is supposed to provide school staff with the opportunity to get to know the high school pupils and their learning needs in greater depth, so the school can provide them with the appropriate resources before the high-stake testing begins.

 

As per new regulations, accomoding requests for extended time on tests will no longer warrant a formal evaluation. A pupil can submit a request to the yoetzet who will gather information from the teacher and bring it for approval by an internal school committee who will decide if the request is warranted. A similar process will allow students with writing disabilities access to computers to write answers. In the past there was no formal guidelines regarding this accomodation (certain bagruyot were computerized). Now an internal school committee will grant this accomodation with no requirement for an evaluation.

 

As schools adapt to these new regulations, there is often a feeling of confusion and frustration, among the staff and among the pupils. Many professionals feel that teachers may not have the necessary expertise to adequately judge learning disabilties. Many teachers feel that they are already being asked to do an incredible amount of work in and out of the classroom, not to mention endless paperwork, and that they don't have the resources to adequately meet every need of every pupil. Many experts feel that this change is simply a "band-aid", covering up the real problems that need to be addressed in the educational system as a whole.

 

The results of the "reforma" are as of yet unknown, but it is important that the learner's needs be first and foremost in this process. I am available to help you discover what these needs are, and to work with you to make sure that they are addressed as appropriately as possible.