Beyond grades: a holistic school-based assessment strategy for identifying and supporting vulnerable internally displaced children in Northwest Syria

Conflict in Syria has led to widespread displacement, leaving millions of children out of school and facing exacerbated risks of exploitation, abuse, and psychosocial distress. This study evaluates a holistic school-based assessment strategy implemented within the Iqraa Project in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Northwest Syria with the aim of identifying and supporting vulnerable children in a protracted humanitarian crisis. A total of 730 children aged 7–10 years who were registered in three schools in Northwest Syria refugee camps were included in this study. This study examined the correlation between continuous educational parameters (daily attendance, weekly behavior grades, and weekly one-minute paper formative assessments) and final exam scores, as well as their relationship with socioeconomic factors and reasons for disengagement. Results show that all three educational parameters were significantly correlated with final exam scores, with continuous formative assessment being the strongest predictor (explaining 58.5% of variance). Crucially, these parameters also served as statistically significant indicators of children’s socioeconomic status, identifying vulnerabilities such as child labor, lower parental education, and family size. Significant gender inequity was observed, with females comprising over 88% of confirmed disengagement cases, particularly linked to parental ignorance of the importance of education, poverty, child-related issues, and distance from school. This strategy demonstrates the potential of schools to serve as a primary point of identification for broader psychosocial and protection needs, enabling targeted and preventive interventions in humanitarian contexts, especially where resources are scarce.