• Functions of the General Directorate of Examinations and Tests

• The Directorate of the General Examination

• School Results Section

• Authentication and Equivalence of Certificates Section

• Establishing the Equivalence of Foreign Certificates

• General Procedures for Establishing Equivalence with the General Secondary Education Certificate

• Equivalence of certificates is subject to two conditions:

• Printing Department

• Department of Measurement and Evaluation

• Information Department

• Department of Diagnostic Assessment

• Department of Item Banking



Functions of the General Directorate of Examinations and Tests

The major functions of the General Directorate of Examinations and Tests are as follows:
1. To contribute to setting policy for the General Examination through the General Examinations Committee, and the Board of the General Examination.
2. To monitor and supervise all aspects of the administration, scoring and processing of the General Examinations, and issuing the results.
3. To issue transcripts and certificates for the Tawjihi students.
4. To evaluate students’ learning achievements, and upgrade teachers’ abilities in preparing all types of tests;
5. To prepare instructions and regulations related to the General Directorate’s functions and revise them annually.
6. To determine the equivalence of foreign certificates with the Tawjihi according to set regulations.
7. To validate Arab and Foreign certificates from other countries according to the set regulations.
8. To develop teachers’ skills in preparing school tests. Up


The Directorate of the General Examination

1. The main function of this directorate is to supervise the Tawjihi according to the relevant laws & procedures. These include the instructions of General Secondary Education Certificate Examination No.5 for the year 1998, under article 29 of law no. 3 for Education for the year 1994, and instructions no. 2 for the year 2000 for make-up courses.
2. In addition, the directorate is responsible for:
• preparing the stationery for the Tawjihi;
• issuing guidelines for applications;
• preparing the application forms;
• establishing the procedures for conducting the Tawjihi.
• preparing guidelines for correcting the examination papers;
• finalising and declaring the results of the Tawjihi;
• issuing the transcripts and certificates after declaring the results;
• issuing the Tawjihi Certificates; and
• issuing instructions regarding pay scales for staff supervising the Tawjihi. Up


School Results Section

The major functions of this section are as follows:
1. To issue the instructions for success, failure and resit, in the Primary Education, the Academic and Vocational Secondary Education levels.
2. To issue the school calendar that contains enrollment, achievement tests and holiday dates.
3. To prepare lists of school results, and specimens of school results and the marks record book.
4. To prepare the school certificate for the end of the General Secondary Education.
5. To insure the authenticity of the school documents which comes to the Department from the cultural counselors.
6. To make equivalent certificates to non-Jordanian certificates.
7. To issue original copies of certificates and transcripts in Arabic and English Language. Up


Authentication and Equivalence of Certificates Section

1. Authentication of Documents Sub-section:
In accordance with law no. 43 of the year 1992 and instruction no. 3 for authentication of educational certificates and their copies, Arab certificates must be authenticated before they can be considered for admission to Jordanian Universities and Colleges. Foreign certificates must also be authenticated. This is the main function of the Authentication of Documents Sub-section.
2. Equivalence of Certificates sub-section:
In accordance with law no. 42 for the year 1992 and instruction no. 5 of the year 1995 regarding procedures for establishing the equivalence of certificates, as well as Instructions no. 2 (amended), equivalence must be established between non-Arabic Foreign Certificates and the Tawjihi. This is done following standard procedures laid down in the law of equivalence.
Note: Foreign school certificates below the level of the General Secondary Education Certificate shall be equated with Jordanian standards by the School Results Department, according to the education scale of such countries. Up


Establishing the Equivalence of Foreign Certificates

Foreign Certificates are divided into three basic types:
1. Certificates issued by educational bodies in foreign countries such as the IGCSE from the United Kingdom, .HSD and SAT II from the U.S.A and ATSTAT from Russia and the Baccalaureate certificate from France.
2. Foreign Certificates issued by private firms especially in Arab countries like the IGCE from a school in Libya or Syria or Saudi Arabia.
3. Foreign Certificates issued by private firms inside the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Up


General Procedures for Establishing Equivalence with the General Secondary Education Certificate

A. Arab Certificates:
1. General Secondary Education Certificates issued by Arab countries shall be deemed equivalent to the Jordanian General Secondary Education Certificate under the relevant cultural agreement, and need not be equated.
2. However, the authenticity of such certificates must be verified and certified.
B. Foreign Certificates Issued by Private Firms in Arab Countries:
Certificates issued by private firms in the Arab countries shall be equated according to the procedures for establishing the equivalence of certificates laid down in Jordanian law.
Example (1): There are private firms in Arab countries which give SAT II in two subjects only. Jordan requires SAT II in six courses, according to the resolution of the Board of Education.
Example (2): There are private firms which offer the GCE in three courses in the ordinary level and one course in the Advanced level. Jordan requires 6 courses in the ordinary level and two courses in the advanced level.
C. Foreign Certificates Issued by Foreign Countries:
These certificate will be equated according to the level of the certificate in that country, with regard to whether the certificate:
• fulfills the requirements for successful graduation from general secondary education in the foreign country;
• is issued by the school or the Ministry of Education; and
• qualifies its bearer to enter the university in that country.
Thus, the Ministry has a sequence of procedures through which the level of this certificate can be assessed, and its equivalence established.
D. Foreign certificates issued by private organizations in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
This type of certificates will be equated according to the provisions of article (34) of the law of education. Article (34) states that:
• Private primary schools must adopt the curricula and textbooks approved by the Board of Education for the primary stage as a minimum, although they can add to them with the consent of the Board.
• Private secondary schools must teach the curricula and textbooks approved for the courses of common culture. They may teach different curricula and textbooks for other courses, provided that they have the Board’s approval. Up


Equivalence of certificates is subject to two conditions:

First condition: The subjects of common culture must be studied in the secondary education stage:
• For the scientific stream: Islamic education, Literary and linguistic education., English Language, General Culture and Computer.
• For the Literary Stream: Islamic education, Literary and linguistic education, English Language, General Culture and Computer.
Second condition: The textbooks and curricula of foreign programs applied by this organization must be approved by the Board of Education.
The studying of common culture in the first and second secondary classes is in parallel to the studying of foreign program. Up


Printing Department

The responsibilities of this department are:
• printing General Secondary Education Certificate Examination question papers; and
• printing other documents of the General Directorate for Examinations and Tests. Up


Department of Measurement and Evaluation

This Department provides the General Directorate with technical expertise, and prepares the following:
• content analyses of the school textbooks;
• specification tables for various tests and examinations;
• materials for training supervisors and teachers in assessment procedures;
• models for achievement tests;
• criteria for assessing the practical skills in scientific subjects and practical training for the vocational branches;
• plans for monitoring the examinations in all directorates of education;
• plans for monitoring the application of achievement testing in all the schools of the Kingdom. Up


Information Department

This Department is in charge of all information resources in the General Directorate of Examinations and for maintaining the following:
• an information database;
• statistical computer programs;
• statistical analyses for various tests and examinations.
• a scientific library specialized in the field of educational assessment;
• scientific studies in the field of assessment and evaluation; and
• exchanges of information with universities and centers of scientific research. Up


Department of Diagnostic Assessment

This Department is responsible for developing methods of diagnostic assessment in the Kingdom’s schools through the developing and disseminating the following:
• diagnostic tests;
• training materials in methods of diagnostic assessment for teachers and supervisors;
• a plan for implementing methods of diagnostic assessment in all the schools of the Kingdom;
• a plan for monitoring the application of diagnostic assessment in the schools; and
• criteria for evaluating the various activities in diagnostic assessment. Up


Department of Item Banking

This Department is responsible for developing and maintaining the GDE’s item banks. This involves:
• developing computer programs for storing test items
• developing test items assessing the various skills and abilities taught in the school textbooks;
• piloting the test items;
• carrying out statistical analyses to select the usable items, including calibration using item response theory (IRT);
• storing the usable test items in the banks; and
• assembling tests from the according to given specifications. Up