1. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Correlation between Pre-primary Education and Achievements in PISA 2009 Joel Rapp, PhD Amihai Rigbi, PhD Accession Seminar for Israel OECD/Ministry of Education 22-23 November 2011 Caesarea, Israel

2. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education PISA in Israel Israel has participated in PISA studies since 2002 (PISA+), including in 2006 and in 2009, and it will also participate in 2012. 5761 students participated in the 2009 study. These students constituted a representative sample of 15-year-old students in Israel (with the exception of ultra-orthodox boys).

3. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education The Pre-primary Education (PPE) System in Israel Israel’s Ministry of Education and local authorities finance PPE starting at the age of five (in some cases, at the age of three). PPE is divided into the following two stages: – Pre-kindergarten (ages 3-5). – Kindergarten/pre-elementary school (ages 5-6). According to Israeli law, parents must ensure that their children go through the latter PPE stage. Pre-kindergarten, on the other hand, is not compulsory.

4. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Information about PPE from PISA 2009 The Student Questionnaire of the 2009 survey included a question regarding PPE: In the context of the Israeli educational system, those who checked the RED encircled statement were assumed to have attended pre-elementary school only (age 5), while those who checked the BROWN encircled statement were assumed to have attended pre-kindergarten as well (ages 3-4). Response rate 96%

5. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Analysis of PPE Status and PISA Achievements A substantial part of the PISA 2009 report is dedicated to explaining the relationship found between the PISA achievements and background data. In the context of PPE, it was found that: OECD (2010), PISA 2009 results: overcoming social background-equity in learning opportunities and outcomes (Volume II). http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264091504-en (pp. 95-99).http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264091504-en

6. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Correlation between PPE and Reading Achievement Israel manifested the largest difference in reading achievements between students who had attended PPE and those who had not.

7. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Correlation between PPE and Math and Science Achievements Differences of a similar magnitude, as a function of PPE attendance, were also found in math and science achievements.

8. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Present Study: Aims and Methods The present study sought to understand and explain the pronounced differences in PISA 2009 achievements found in Israel between students who had attended PPE and those who had not. This aim was achieved by re-analyzing Israel’s data, taking into consideration the students’ ethnic background (Hebrew- vs. Arabic- speaking students). In Israel, there is a pronounced difference in educational outcomes between Hebrew- speaking and Arabic-speaking students.

9. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education PISA Achievements and Ethnic Background in Israel On average, the Arabic-speaking students scored about 100 points less than the Hebrew-speaking students. These results are consistent throughout the PISA studies and apply to the three fields of literacy measured in PISA.

10. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Distribution of PPE Attendance in Israel (1)

11. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Distribution of PPE Attendance in Israel (2) In Israel, the attendance rate of PPE for more than one year is very similar to the equivalent rate in OECD countries (74% and 72%, respectively). However, PPE attendance for more than one year is much more prevalent among Hebrew-speaking students than among Arabic-speaking students (86% and 35%, respectively). Not attending PPE is rare in the Hebrew-speaking sector (2%), while in the Arabic-speaking sector it is more common and reaches 16%.

12. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Distribution of PPE Attendance in Israel (3) Once again, it can be seen that most of the students who did not attend PPE at all belong to the Arabic-speaking sector, while most of the students who attended PPE for more than one year belong to the Hebrew-speaking sector.

13. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Characteristics of Students Who Did Not Attend PPE In both sectors: lower ESCS, greater proportion of ninth-graders. In the Hebrew-speaking sector: about half are immigrants (mainly from Ethiopia), greater proportion of boys and greater proportion of students from religious schools. In the Arabic-speaking sector : greater proportion of Bedouin students.

14. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education PISA Reading Achievements as a Function of ESCS

15. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education The results show a consistent difference of about 40 points (for Arabic-speaking students), and 45 points (for Hebrew-speaking students), in reading achievements between students who attended PPE and those who did not. These differences are stable along the entire ESCS range. Similar results were found in science literacy. Somewhat smaller differences were found in math literacy: 25 points (Arabic); 30 points (Hebrew). PISA Reading Achievements as a Function of ESCS (2)

16. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education In the Hebrew-speaking sector there was also a slight difference (of about 5 score points), between the two levels of PPE attendance, while in the Arabic-speaking sector the difference was between the levels of none and some PPE attendance. Thus, it appears that attending the PPE stage of pre-elementary school (5 years old) is the critical variable in the context of PISA achievements. PISA Reading Achievements as a Function of ESCS (3)

17. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education PISA 2009 reported that significant differences in educational achievements exist between students who had attended PPE ten years earlier and those who had not (even after accounting for ESCS background). Although a casual conclusion cannot be drawn from these results, they are still of high importance to educators, policy makers and researchers. PPE plays an important role in the educational continuum. Several studies have indicated a link between the quality of such education and educational and financial success at a later age (e.g. Chetty et al., 2010). Summary and Conclusions (1)

18. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education Of all participating countries, this difference was the most prominent in Israel. However, a cautious analysis revealed that this difference is mainly explained by the sector variable since there are large differences in PISA scores between Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking students. Within each language sector, the difference in PISA achievements between students who had and had not attended PPE is about 45 points, and it is stable along the entire ESCS range. This difference ranks at about the tenth place among the PISA 2009 participating countries. Summary and Conclusions (2)

19. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education In the wake of the results presented, Israel's Ministry of Education decided to take steps to reduce the number of children who do not attend PPE at all, mainly in the Arab sector. The results presented also shed light upon a possible vulnerable population, i.e. students who did not attend PPE. Teachers and educators should be aware of such students when they enter school. Summary and Conclusions (3)

20. ראמ " ה The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education The End Thank You! Questions?