State of Israel
Ministry of Education
Pedagogical Secretariat
Languag Dept.
English Inspectorate
October 2013
FAQ's about the Hozer Mancal from August 15th 2013
1. In the new guidelines it states that as of the winter 2014 Bagrut examination the mutam
exam will no longer be available to our students. Does that mean that students who are in
the 12th grade, and have already been tested with this type of examination will no longer
have the possibility to be tested this way?
Yes, the new guidelines state clearly that as of the Winter 2013 exam, the mutam exam will
no longer be available. This is the case for ALL students! Please note that the mutam was a
shorter exam primarily for students who needed more time or who have attention deficit
issues.
Students with additional accommodations, who were eligible for the mutam exam, may still
take the Bagrut exam with their other accommodations.
2. In the new guidelines it states that as of the winter 2014 Bagrut examination the oral exam
will no longer be available to our students. Does that mean that students who are in the
12th grade, and have already been tested with this type of examination will no longer have
the possibility to be tested this way? Is that fair?
Yes, the new guidelines state clearly that as of the Winter 2013 exam, the oral exam as we
know it will no longer be available. Instead the students will be tested on the computer. The
computer reads the test to them and then the students have the choice of recording their
answers directly on the computer, or typing their answers. The double accommodation of
hakraa (listening to a recording of the exam) and haklata (recording the answers) is now
equivalent to the oral examination. That means the following:
a. The students will answer ALL questions on the test.
b. The students will have the full testing time and the additional time available. There is
no official time limit to the computerized exam. However, the fact that there are a
number of modules to be administered may limit the time available to the majority of
the students. For your students who work slowly, please make sure that they are not
disturbed, and are not asked to complete their work quickly.
Please note that students who already have authorization for oral testing, do NOT need
to apply to the regional LD committees again, in order to take the computerized exam.
Students who have been tested previously with the double accommodation do not need
to apply to the regional LD committees for renewed authorization.
3. We have special education classes in our school, and we often have students who are
labeled as 07 students in our regular English classes. Most of them will not manage on the
computer for a variety of reasons, what should we do?
The new guidelines do not affect special education schools or classes. Your students
who are designated as requiring special education (07) MAY still be tested orally.
However, in our experience there are many who do well with the computer. It is highly
recommended that you try the computerized exam with your students. You may find
that it is the perfect way for them to be tested.
4. The new guidelines have changed levels 1-2 accommodations to level 3 accommodations.
Does that mean that ALL of the students in the 11th and 12th grades , who were tested with
level two accommodations that have now become level 3, need to be tested by a
psychologist, and then have their files submitted to the regional committees?
The students in the 11th and 12th grades who have recommendations for level 2
accommodations do not have to be reevaluated nor do their files need to be submitted
UNLESS they have a recommendation for the double accommodation of listening to the
test and recording their answers. IF they took the exam last year with this double
accommodation their files do not need to be submitted to the LD committees. In other
words, students in the 11th and 12th grades who have a recommendation for the double
accommodation must have their files submitted to the regional committees if they have not
been tested previously with this accommodation.
The other accommodations that will become level three accommodations (listening for E
and G, ignoring spelling mistakes for F and G, recording answers for F and G) are only for
those students who are presently in the 10th grade.
5. The new guidelines have changed level 1-2 accommodations to level 3 accommodations.
Are we expected to send ALL of the students who have a recommendation for hakraa, or
haklata, in their assessment to have a psychological assessment and then submit their files
to the regional committees for approval?
No. First of all, the change from level 1-2 to level 3 is only for modules F and G for the
spelling accommodation and for modules E and G for the hakraa accommodation. As you
well know, many of the students who have such recommendations in their assessments do
not need the accommodation to succeed.
Tenth grade is an excellent time to identify those students who cannot manage without the
accommodations of either listening to a recording of the test, and or ignoring their spelling
errors.
Please remember, that many of our students do spell poorly. However, it is up to us to teach
and encourage correct spelling. Those students who do not have an orthographic disability,
or developmental dyslexia, or dysgraphia, and can spell in Hebrew, have access to the
electronic dictionary, and can look up the spelling of the words. It takes time, and at the
beginning can be frustrating, however, it definitely improves spelling skills, which increases
writing fluency and reading ability.
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For those students who have the recommendation of hakraa, listening to a recording of the
text, it is also necessary to identify whether or not the accommodation really makes a
difference for them. Many of these students require more time, a quiet work environment,
and the opportunity to look up the words that they may have difficulty reading. Many
students who receive the accommodation of hakraa, need only a few words read to them.
Please note the importance of encouraging your students to read in English. The Matach
program of Shetef Kriya in English shetef-english.cet.ac.il/, is an excellent way to help your
students improve their reading.
6. I am not trained to evaluate my students. There are professionals who get paid to do it. Why
do I have to fill in the long and complicated forms?
The forms that you are asked to fill out are asking YOU as a TEACHER, how your student
functions in the classroom and with the required material. The LD evaluation that your
student has, identifies whether or not there is a learning disability that impedes learning or
interferes with normative acquisition of basic skills of reading, writing, oral and written
expression etc. The professional evaluator’s job is to identify the source of the difficulty
that we see as teachers.
In addition, the time that you spend listening to your student read, and carefully evaluating
his or her written work is priceless! It helps you to know your student better.
If you are unclear or unsure about anything having to do with completing the forms you may
ask your LD coordinator or school’s guidance counselor or feel free to contact Aharona
Gvaryahu at gvaryahu@gmail.com
7. What kind of assessments must be included in the file submitted to the regional
committees? There seem to be so many, I lose track.
Each student is required to have a:
‫א‬. Psycho-educational evaluation (‫ (אבחון פסיכו דידקטי‬that can be three separate
evaluations:
I. An educational evaluation : ‫אבחון דידקטי‬
II. A psychological evaluation : ‫אבחון פסיכולוגי‬
III. An educational evaluation of EFL skills: ‫אבחון דידקטי באנגלית‬
They can instead be included in one comprehensive evaluation. The section about
English language skills must be extensive and provide information concerning reading,
writing and language skills.
Do not forget that the teachers’ questionnaires give the committee vital up-to-date
information regarding their students skills in English. The recommendations in the
assessments are exactly that: recommendations. The regional LD committees take all
information presented into account when making a decision regarding authorization of
testing accommodations.
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8. I wonder if you can tell me about the registration for the computer programs. Our technician
seems to think we need a password and user name for misrad hachinuch to download an
example of a computerized test. Can you help me all with this?
First you need to register for the computerized Bagrut exam. Go to the English Inspectorate
website, scroll down from the top, and you will see the “Registration for the Computerized
Bagrut Exam". Fill out the form and send it to the email addresses that appear at the bottom
of the form. After receipt of your forms, Matach will answer you, and you will receive a
password and a user name. Then your computer technician can install the I-test in your
schools computers, and following that, you will have access to practice tests.
9. Many of our students have the accommodation of listening to the test. Right now we are
not interested in having them take the computerized Bagrut exam. Will the discs still be
available and for how long?
Yes, discs are still available and will remain so. Do not forget to order the number that you
require for the Bagrut exam.
10. How will our students who are supposed to take the computerized Bagrut exam have the
opportunity to practice? Can I use my own tests with the I-test?
First of all, Matach has made it possible to access a number of previous Bagrut exams for
practice purposes. Four tests are presently available. Second of all, you cannot use your
own tests with the I –test program, since it is a closed program.
11. We are still slightly confused about the levels of the various accommodations. Can you
clarify that point?
Here is a table that should be helpful to you. Remember the changes for listening to a
recording, recording answers, and ignoring spelling relate to the students who are
presently in 10th grade.
Testing Accommodation
Authorized by the
School LD committee
Level 1 and 2
Accommodations
Authorized by the Regional LD committees
Level 3 Accommodations
Extra time
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Ignoring spelling errors
A, B, C, D, E
Use of an electronic dictionary
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Text enlargement
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
Listening to a recording
A, B, C, D, F
E, G
Recording answers
A, B, C, D, E
F,G
F, G
Oral Examination: Listening to a
recording + recording/typing
answers on the computerized
Bagrut exam
A, B, C, D, E, F, G
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