The Impact of ICT Integration on Learning Achievements: The Future of Standardized Tests in Assessment

Abstract

The present article discusses the impact of the ICT integration in teaching and learning upon students learning achievements in the context of assessment challenges following the shift in curriculum for the 21st century skills, having introduced the interdisciplinary pedagogy and subsequent new demands for evaluation. In particular, the author relates to the recent abolition of the Meitzav State Examination in Israel. The abolition of the exam, which was extensively criticized in the Israeli media, which marked a significant shift in attitude towards standardized examinations and challenged the accuracy of assessing learning achievement on the national level, as compared to international criteria and standards (OECD/PISA). The author addresses further challenges of assessing the 21st competencies of interdisciplinary and project-based learning, while juxtaposing them to the formal traditional ways of assessment, such as Meitzav.