The UAE announced a three-week holiday starting next March 25 and ending on April 14.
The UAE school calendar for the current academic year includes the spring break from the 25th of March to the 14th of April. The second semester consists of assessments to evaluate students' competencies and a test. Conclusion of the second semester.
The calendar indicated that the second semester, starting on January 2nd, lasts for 12 weeks (59 school days), with only one official vacation day (January 1st) for New Year’s Day.
In the second semester, school assessments will measure students' cognitive and skill competencies in February. In March, there will be an end-of-semester evaluation test as part of the evaluation stages in the academic year.
The "Guideline for Student Evaluation Policy for the Academic Year 2023-2024"prioritizes student-centered evaluation to promote active learning, critical thinking, student responsibility, and motivation for learning. The motivation behind this approach is threefold: first, tailoring education to meet each student's specific needs; second, offering dependable data to enhance learning and teaching methods, aiding students in making academic advancements; and third, assessing students' current achievement levels to offer valuable insights and determine their progress in education.
The guide explained that various forms of continuous assessment help teachers evaluate students' understanding, application abilities, cognitive and skill competencies needed for educational progress, and identify suitable support for students during classroom learning.
Students engage in their learning process to continuously enhance their knowledge and skills, as they all possess the capacity for cognitive development and academic advancement, by mastering integrated knowledge and skills, incorporating acquired knowledge and skills, developing knowledge, refining basic skills, and building fundamental knowledge and skills.
The guide stated that the teacher uses continuous assessment to evaluate students' cognitive and skill competencies during the learning process. This helps in adjusting teaching methods and strategies to provide optimal support for students to successfully complete their educational journey.
The guide categorized continuous assessment into school-level assessments and central assessments. School-level evaluations consist of formative assessment without a grade and formative assessment with a grade monitored. Central assessments involve diagnostic testing, end-of-semester tests, and retake testing.
