Bagrut Exams: Issues and Recommendations for Reform

This policy paper shows that the bagrut qualification rate amongst populations that take the exams have indeed risen consistently; there is no evidence to support the claims that this is due to a lowering in the difficulty level of the exams.  Another common claim is that the scope of study in the sciences is low in Israel.  In the second part of the paper data is examined that shows that the range of study is reasonable relative to other developed countries and that there is no proof of a crisis in the teaching of the sciences in Israel.  In conclusion there is a brief presentation against the bagrut exam system and a suggestion for its reform.