The CBS published new data on the achievements of fourth-grade students in Israel based on external assessment tests in their native languages, Hebrew and Arabic. The data is from the 2021/22 school year.
In Hebrew-language education, the average score for girls was 305 points, while boys scored an average of 294 points. Students whose mothers hold a PhD achieved an average score of 324 points, compared to an average score of 275 points for students whose mothers do not have a complete high school education.
When broken down by parental income, students from families in the 9th-10th income deciles scored an average of 311 points, compared to 283 points for students from families in the 1st-2nd deciles. Israeli-born students achieved an average score of 301 points, while foreign-born students scored 281 points.
In Arabic-language education, the average score for girls was 307 points, while boys scored 293 points. Students whose mothers hold a master’s degree or higher achieved an average score of 324 points, compared to 283 points for students whose mothers do not have a complete high school education.
When analyzed by parental income in Arabic-language education, students from families in the 9th-10th income deciles scored an average of 319 points, compared to 294 points for students from the 1st-2nd deciles.
The data shows that 47.6% of students in Arabic-language education performed at a very low level in reading comprehension, compared to 25.8% of students in Hebrew-language education.
CBS notes that it is not possible to directly compare the achievements in Hebrew and Arabic, as each sector has a different test based on its curriculum and a different definition of the expected level of performance for students at this stage of learning.
