In 2009, Ethiopia joined the RussiaEducation Aid for Development (READ) trust fund program, thegoal of which is to help countries improve their capacity todesign, carry out, analyze, and use assessments for improvedstudent learning. As part of the READ trust fund program,and in order to gain a better understanding of the strengthsand weaknesses of its existing assessment system, Ethiopiaparticipated in a formal exercise to benchmark this systemunder The World Bank’s systems approach for better educationresults (SABER) program. SABER is an evidence based programto help countries systematically examine and strengthen theperformance of different aspects of their education systems.The SABER student assessment framework is built on theavailable evidence base for what an effective assessmentsystem looks like. The framework provides guidance on howcountries can build more effective student assessmentsystems. The framework is structured around two maindimensions of assessment systems: the types and purposes ofassessment activities and the quality of those activities.