Analysis of the Impacts of National Examination

RISE Indonesia has shown that high-quality evidence, participatory engagements with policymakers, and a focus on real-world problem solving can bring about reform. The challenge now is to match the scale of the problem to how we can apply these methods to a still developing country with three time zones and speaks 762 languages. We’re on the right track, but we’re not there yet.  

The system is massive, with 3 million teachers and 69 million students at primary and secondary levels. It is highly decentralized, meaning that 500+ local governments can autonomously set their own education policies. And without specific recovery policies, the significant learning loss due to prolonged school closures will likely worsen the learning crisis. We intend to continue working with policymakers on these issues, together with any global partners who share the same concerns. 

Cheating reduces the signal value of exam data and it might shift the focus of teachers and students away from learning. However, it is difficult to prevent cheating if it is widespread. We evaluate the impact of computer-based testing (CBT) on national exam scores in junior secondary schools in Indonesia, exploiting the phased roll-out of the program from 2015 to 2019.