Over the years NCHRD conducted systematic national assessment studies and produced and disseminated several reports. These reports were circulated heavily in the country. NCHRD also guided Jordan’s participation in international exams to supplement their efforts in the area of assessment of student learning. In recent years, NCHRD has been in charge of developing and executing a comprehensive evaluation framework for Jordan’s largest education reforms. It is based on a mixed-method approach. It uses continuous and systematic assessment of students’ performance based on national assessments and international studies incorporating the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA). It has also supplemented the national assessment program with new assessment tools that have been conducted biannually since 2008 with a focus on skills needed for the knowledge economy, known as the National Assessment for Knowledge Economy Skills (NAfKE). The approach also includes regular observations and evaluation of what is happening at schools and in the classroom. These are in addition to evaluations of different designs and experiments (such as the Jordan Education Initiative’s Discovery Schools that utilize technology-rich instruction).

Initial analysis of TIMSS 1999 (Abdul-Hamid 2001) indicated that socioeconomic and family characteristics related to education continue to have the biggest influence on student achievement. Between-schools differences in achievement were associated with school authority (public versus private, with private superior), school location (urban versus rural, with urban locations producing better results), and school climate (including teacher morale). Gender is also a significant factor in achievement to the advantage of girls. School resources and teacher qualifications were also investigated and tended to have a positive influence on achievement.

Jordan also used the international results to compare itself with the world’s best achievers. Jordan reviewed systems such as those in Japan, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and organized study tours to Korea, Japan and Singapore. It used these benchmarking activities to guide the educational reforms within Jordan.

Following up on the analyses, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with NCHRD, developed teacher guides and initiated nationwide discussions and teacher training to overcome the lack of understanding of specific topics in the curriculum and correct misconceptions.

Jordanian authorities developed a feedback loop between those researching the education system and those implementing change. Even more testing was conducted, now on a continuous basis. The results of such research were used to identify gaps and to propose solutions. Thus, teacher guides were developed, teacher training was improved, and workshops were organized for teachers.

While noticeable improvements appeared in TIMSS, PISA identified new challenges. Results of the 2006 PISA indicated a need to improve the quality of instruction to prepare students on using reading, math and science skills to synthesize and solve problems (see Figure 3). Mastery of 6