UAE first-grade Arabic language assessment 2026: What parents need to know before October 2

Dubai: First-grade students in public and private schools implementing the Ministry of Education curriculum will undergo a basic test measuring their Arabic language skills until October 2nd, with the aim of diagnosing their abilities in reading, writing and communication, and identifying areas of strength and skills that need support from the first weeks of the school year. The test comes as part of the second phase of the assessment of Arabic language skills, which was announced by the Ministry of Education for the 2026-2027 academic year, and targets about 30,000 male and female students in 292 schools, including 19,000 in 162 government schools, and 11,000 in 130 private schools. The second phase is based on the results of a pilot application that was implemented during the last academic year in 100 public and private schools, in a step aimed at building an accurate baseline for students’ language levels at the beginning of their school journey, and using its results to develop their skills, and designing early educational interventions that suit their actual needs. The participating school administrations announced the test implementation schedules, calling on parents to ensure their children attend at the specified times and to prepare them psychologically to take it calmly and without pressure, stressing that the assessment is not related to success or failure, and should not be treated as a competitive test or a source of anxiety for children. In letters addressed to parents, administrators explained that the test focuses on measuring the student’s reading, writing and communication skills before joining the first grade, enabling teachers to determine their true level and detect early on the skills that need strengthening, instead of assuming that all students start from one cognitive and linguistic level. According to the approved academic calendar for government and private schools implementing the Ministry’s curriculum, the basic assessment period for the Arabic language began on September 7 and will continue until October 2, 2026. Each school will determine the dates for the first grade classes and the mechanism for organising the sessions within this window, according to its schedule announced to parents. In a sample of one of the school timetables, the period from September 22 to 30 was set for the evaluation of the first grade classes sequentially, to be carried out electronically during the school lessons, through two separate sessions of 30 minutes each. The schedule allocated September 22nd and 23rd for sections 1 and 2, September 24th and 25th for sections 3 and 4, September 28th and 29th for sections 5 and 6, and September 30th for section 7. These dates and the session allocation are specific to the school that issued the schedule and do not necessarily apply to other schools participating in the assessment. School administrations stressed the importance of encouraging children to participate naturally, and avoiding intensive training methods or putting pressure on them, in order to ensure that the test results reflect their true levels and provide teachers with accurate data that can be built upon. They emphasised providing a calm and supportive environment within classrooms during assessment sessions, which helps students demonstrate their skills without stress, and allows schools to intervene quickly to address any language difficulties before they escalate or affect the student's ability to learn in other subjects. The assessment represents a starting point for monitoring the development of students’ skills in the Arabic language, as it monitors what they have mastered upon entering the first grade, and reveals early on any difficulties in reading, writing and communication that may later affect their academic achievement. Its results also allow teachers to prepare support plans and educational activities that take into account individual differences, and to direct support to each student according to their needs, in cooperation with their family, without reducing their abilities or judging their level based on the result of a single test.