National Assessments (NAFS)

Your Tool to Discover Your Children's Educational

Achievement Level:

Parents’ Guide
 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

Dear Parents - Partners of Children's Success

Acknowledgement
The achievements of our children throughout their
educational journey is a source of celebration and pride for
both parents and our beloved country.
In recognition of the invaluable role parents play in their
children's learning journey, the Education and Training
Evaluation Commission (ETEC), in partnership with the
Ministry of Education, is committed to providing support
and resources to enhance the quality of education for your
sons and daughters. This includes the national
assessments that evaluate the educational achievement
level of schools in key skills related to core subjects
(Reading, Science, and Mathematics).
In this guide for mothers and fathers, we aim to provide you
with valuable information about the national assessments
(NAFS).

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

Table of Contents
Acknowledgement 2

What are the National Assessments (NAFS)? 4

What is the purpose of the National Assessments (NAFS)? 4

What is the impact of (NAFS) on your child's educational journey? 5

What information does NAFS provide to parents about their children's schools? 6

What subjects are our children tested in as part of the National Assessments (NAFS)? 6

How will schools and students be selected for the National Assessments (NAFS) for the current year 2024? 6

Why specifically these grades? 6

When will the National Assessments (NAFS) be administered? 7

What knowledge and skills do the National Assessments (NAFS) measure? 9

What is the role of parents in the success of the National Assessments (NAFS)? 9

How can parents help their children in preparing for the National Assessments (NAFS)? 10

How do parents participate in the National Assessments (NAFS)? 10

How to easily and correctly respond to a parent survey? 11

What are the components of the National Assessments (NAFS) booklets? 11

Was the student booklet presented to your son/daughter before the National Assessment (NAFS)? 12

How does the school assist third-grade elementry students during the National Assessments (NAFS)? 12

How are our sons and daughters being prepared on the day of the assessment? 12

How is the assessment time distributed? What is its duration? And how many questions are there? 13

What are some illustrative examples of National Assessments (NAFS) questions? 14

What is the availability of a computer-based version of the National Assessments questions? 16

How can you find out the results of your children's schools in the National Assessments (NAFS)? 16

How can I contact and be updated with the National Assessments? 16

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What are the National Assessments for Schools (NAFS)?

NAFS are assessments that have been developed based on targeted learning
outcomes for the main courses (Reading, Mathematics, and Science). These
assessment are administered annually in both Arabic and English languages,
across all schools within the same time frame.

What is the purpose of the National Assessments (NAFS)?

Students vary in their proficiency of basic knowledge and skills in:

Reading

Science

Mathematics

National assessments help educators and parents in assessing the educational

achievement level of our son's and daughter's schools in these skills while
monitoring changes in their proficiency year after year.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What is the impact of (NAFS) on your child's educational journey?

• There is a percentage of our dear children at the age of ten who are
unable to read and comprehend a short text written in simple language
appropriate for their age.
• There is also a percentage of students, at the age of 15, who lack the
Facts

essential reading, science, and mathematics skills necessary for their

educational achievement.

Lack of proficiency in essential skills (reading, numeral) at an early age

has an impact on:
Challenges

• Their skills;
• Their future employment opportunities;
• Their income levels;
• The quality of their lives; and
• Meeting the needs of the job market.
Early Intervention

In the right time during students' educational journey helps in:

• Assessing the extent of proficiency in basic knowledge and skills.
• Providing school-based remedial programs.
• Assisting parents in supporting their sons and daughters.
Impact of NAFS

NAFS serves as an illuminating tool that:

• Reinforces strengths and areas for improvement in educational
achievement.
• Provides insights into the knowledge and skills being delivered by
schools, in comparison with desired outcomes; and
• Contributes to achieving equity in the provision of quality education for
all.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What information does NAFS provide to parents

about their children's schools?

Measure school outcomes in the

essential skills of the subjects of Identify the distinguished schools.
reading, science and mathematics.

Determine the ranking of your children's Inform parents about the performance
school compared to other schools. level of their children's schools.

What subjects are our children tested in as part of the

National Assessments (NAFS)?
In the current academic year (1445 AH - 2023-2024), our students are assessed
in three subjects:

Reading Mathematics Science

How will schools and students be selected for the

National Assessments (NAFS) for the current year 2024?

NAFS for the year (2024) is to be administered as follows:

• All third-grade: classrooms in a sample of schools.

• All sixth-grade: classrooms in all elementary schools.
• All ninth-grade: classrooms in all intermediate schools.

Why specifically these grades?

NAFS aims to assess the level of students' learning and what they can accomplish
at the end of each educational stage.
These particular grades represent the end of different educational stages. The
third grade represents the end of early childhood education, the sixth grade
represents the end of elementry education, and the ninth grade (third year of
intermediate school) represents the end of the intermediate school stage.
Additionally, selecting these grades helps measure the educational achievement
level within the specific grade itself and the two preceding grades.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

When will the National Assessments (NAFS) be administered?

Assessments will be administered from

May 12th to May 28th, 2024.

Grade Day Date assessment language

Sunday 12/05/2024 Arabic

Monday 13/05/2024 Arabic

Ninth Grade
Tuesday 14/05/2024 Arabic + English

Wednesday 15/05/2024 Arabic

Thursday 16/05/2024 Arabic

Sunday 19/05/2024 Arabic

Sixth Grade
Monday 20/05/2024 Arabic + English

Tuesday 21/05/2024 Arabic

Wednesday 22/05/2024 Arabic

Thursday 23/05/2024 Arabic

Third Grade Sunday 26/05/2024 Arabic + English

Monday 27/05/2024 Arabic

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 Where do we start?
This booklet guides you to the starting point.
 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What knowledge and skills do the National Assessments (NAFS) measure?

The national assessments measure the knowledge and skills that our sons and
daughters should learn, understand, and be able to demonstrate in reading, science,
and mathematics. They also assess their ability to solve problems they encounter in
their lives using this knowledge and these skills.
Examples of knowledge and skills measured:

Example:
By the end of the third grade in reading, our children should be able to:

Infer ideas and meanings from the texts, analyze them, and evaluate them.

And by the end of the third grade in mathematics, our children should be able to:

Describing the place value, distinguishing it from a number in a whole number

within four places, using it in counting, representing numbers with models,
drawings and number lines, reading and writing them in standard, verbal and
analytical forms, comparing them, arranging them in ascending and
descending order, and rounding them to the nearest ten or hundred.

What is the role of parents in the success of the National Assessments (NAFS)?

Our valued partners, parents, we are pleased to inform you that your
participation and cooperation contribute to the success of the National
Assessments (NAFS) in the following ways:
1 2

Familiarizing yourself Keeping track of the

with the assessment dates of the National
subjects. Assessments (NAFS).

5 4 3

Discussing the results Monitoring your Reviewing publications

with the school. children's school results. and guides.
 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

Your role is vital in ensuring that your children do not miss out the opportunity to
acquire and enhance their skills. NAFS can assist you in utilizing this opportunity
by engaging in the following:

Discuss the Explain clearly the Review relevant

importance of the subjects of the topics in their
assessments with assessments to textbooks with
your children. your children. them.

Share examples Describe to your Ensure that your

from the guidance children the children are not
materials with assessment absent during
them. booklet. assessment times.

Encourage your Emphasize the

children to take importance of
their time and reading all the
carefully complete questions.
the assessment
booklet.

We value parents’ opinions

How do parents participate in the National Assessments (NAFS)?

Parents' opinions are valuable sources of information about their children's

learning. We have made sure to involve parents in the National Assessments
through the completion of the parent survey accompanying the assessment.
The assessment is accompanied by several questionnaires to understand the

1 2 3 4
factors that affect students' academic achievement. These questionnaires include:

Student Parent School Principal Reading

questionnaire: questionnaire: questionnaire: Teacher, Mathematics
This questionnaire is This is an electronic This is an electronic Teacher, and Science
provided to the student questionnaire that is questionnaire that is Teacher questionnaires:
along with the assessment completed by the completed by the
paper, both in "paper-based" student's parent school principal These are electronic
and "computer-based" through ETEC's through ETEC's questionnaires completed by
formats. It is filled out platform platform the respective teachers
immediately after through ETEC's platform
completing the assessment.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

How to easily and correctly respond to a parent questionnaire?

Read the Express your honest Adhere to the

questionnaire opinion. specified deadline
instructions for submitting the
thoroughly. questionnaire.

Ask about any part of the Answer all the Share your feedback
questionnaire, whenever sections of the about the questionnaire
you need. questionnaire. if possible.

What are the components of the National Assessments (NAFS) booklets?

Dear parents, the assessment is prepared in a paper booklet that includes

questions from the three sections (Reading, Mathematics, and Science) for the
sixth-grade elementry and ninth-grade intermediate levels. However, for the
third-grade elementry level, the booklet contains only two sections: Reading and
Mathematics. Additionally, there is a student questionnaire.
The components of the student booklet are as follows:
1. Booklet Cover: It includes the name of the assessment, grade level, and test day.
2. Section 1 Page: It indicates the number of questions in this section and provides
instructional guidance for the test takers.
3. Section 1 Questions: (multiple pages).
4. Break Page.
5. Section 2 Page: It indicates the number of questions in this section and provides
instructional guidance for the test takers.
6. Section 2 Questions.
7. Break Page.
8. Section 3 Page: It indicates the number of questions in this section and provides
instructional guidance for the test takers.
9. Answer Sheet and instructions for shading.
10. Multiple sheets dedicated to the student questionnaire.
11. Back Cover.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

Was the student booklet presented to your son/daughter

before the National Assessment (NAFS)?
Dear parents, we would like to inform you that blank copies of the student booklet
were provided to the participating students before the assessments in each
school. The components, sections, and how to use the answer sheet were
explained to them.

How does the school assist third-grade elementry

students during the National Assessments (NAFS)?

Our sons and daughters in third grade are our top priority, and we will provide all
the necessary assistance during the assessments.

How are our sons and daughters being prepared on the day of the
assessment?

There are (15 minutes) at the beginning of the assessment to prepare our dear
sons and daughters, welcome them, reassure them, and clarify the assessment
instructions.

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

How is the assessment time distributed? What is its duration?

And how many questions are there?

Setting Section Section Section Student No. of

Grade Break Break questio- Subject
Up 1 2 3 nnaire Questions

15 Reading
Third 15 30 5 30 5 N/A 40
Grade mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. mins.
16 Mathematics

15 Reading

Sixth 15 35 5 35 5 35 40 20 Mathematics
Grade mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. mins.
20 Science

15 Reading

Ninth 15 35 5 35 5 35 40
mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. mins. 20 Mathematics
Grade
20 Science

The well-being of our sons and daughters, and ensuring their smooth and proper
execution of the exam are among our top priorities.

Examples of this include:

Allocating break Alerting them to the Clarifying instructions

periods start and end of break for starting and
periods finishing each section

Ensuring a quite Providing assistance Verifying the accuracy

atmoshpere in reading and filling of student data
out the questionnaire

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What are some illustrative examples of National Assessments

(NAFS) questions?
We are delighted to share with you a few examples of the National Assessment questions.
Here's an example from the third-grade reading test:
National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents
National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

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National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents
 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

What is the availability of a computer-based version of the

National Exams?
Nafs 2024 is to be administered in paper-format to over than 20,000 schools, and
computer-based to over than 500 schools.
The implementation of computer based assessments will be expanded in the coming
years based on the technological readiness of schools.

How can you find out the results of your children's schools in
the National Assessments (NAFS)?

Through the Tarteeb Index.

Tarteeb Index was launched by ETEC in collaboration with the
Ministry of Education to provide information and indicators about
school performance, and to illustrate its level compared to other
schools.
You can follow the Tarteeb Index and find out the ranking of your
children's school from here.

How can I contact and be updated with the National

Assessments? (NAFS)?

Please visit our ETEC website and follow us on our social media
accounts.

We appreciate your time in completing this short questionnaire.

Survey QR Code

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 National Assessment for School (NAFS)
A Guide for Parents

Conclusion
Dear parents, at ETEC, we share with you the hope for a future of education that reaches new
heights for your sons and daughters. We deeply value your partnership in supporting
opportunities for your children towards a prosperous future.

Thank you for your cooperation

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