Curriculum Policy Seen Through High-Stakes Examinations: Mathematics and Biology in a Selection of School-Leaving Examinations From the Middle East and North Africa

A study of curriculum goals set forth in school-leaving examinations in mathematics and biology from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia benchmarked against the French baccalaureat examinations. This investigation uncovers and contrasts the goals of secondary education as they are put forward in the tests that are used in the certification of completion of secondary studies in these countries. The work takes advantage of a metric developed for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study efforts to measure educational goals for school mathematics and science. Tests from the sample of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries are found to emphasize traditional content and the ability to recall and apply routine procedures and algorithms. These goals are contrasted with French school-leaving examinations and the implications of these findings for understanding and assessing curriculum policy in MENA, in a context of educational reform and the challenges of economic competiven...