Dear English educators,

The common overarching goal of the English inspectorate and of all those involved in the work of teaching English in Israel is twofold: 1) to help develop learners become proficient in the English language and 2) to plan and carry out activities to reach continued learning of English in schools at all levels to enhance life experiences.

It is my great pleasure to present the annual bulletin providing information about programs and plans for instruction and assessment of English in Israeli schools for the 2020-2021 academic school year.

This year, we will continue to offer a variety of ways to integrate digital methodology and distance learning in English teaching. We will also enhance the focus on implementing the Revised English curriculum 2020.

This is necessary because the revised curriculum follows international standards, mainly the CEFR, in adopting an action-oriented approach to the description of communicative proficiency. To explicate, the Curriculum 2020 perceives learners of English as language users who perform real-life tasks. This perspective is translated into “can-do” descriptors that define what English language learners can do with language in different situations, for different purposes, at each level along the journey toward English mastery.

To this end, vocabulary and grammar are targeted and specified in the context of the "can-do" descriptors. Courses about implementing the curriculum will be made available all over the country at Pisga Centers.

This bulletin provides instructive and stimulating information to meet the needs of the versatile English teacher community. I invite you to use this information as you prepare for the new academic school year.

This is my opportunity to thank each and every English teacher in Israel. Your hard work in the advancement of English language studies in and out of the Israeli classroom as we progress toward excelling high quality English language instruction is Israeli schools is greatly appreciated.

As we approach the beginning of another school year, I would like to wish you and your families, a Happy New Year, a year of good physical and mental health, a year of creativity, innovation, and community.

I will end with a quote from Earl Nightingale "All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination”. Thanks to you, we have it all!

Dr. Tziona Levi,

Head of English Studies, the Languages Department, office of Pedagogical Affairs, Ministry of Education