#ScotPISA – Answers to Engage submitted questions near the bottom of page.

PISA is the world’s biggest international education survey, involving schools and students in over 60 countries. It has been developed jointly by member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

What is PISA?

What does it assess?
PISA assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science. Students are also asked about their attitudes towards learning. In 2012 the main focus of the survey is on maths, covering about half of the questions.

Does Scotland participate separately from the rest of the UK?
Scotland participates as a separate adjudicated area, allowing input into the development process and Scotland-level analysis to be produced. It has done this in all four of the previous PISA surveys.

When does it take place?
PISA takes place every three years, since 2000. In Scotland pupils will be assessed in March 2012, though in other countries assessment takes place at other times during the year.

How are schools chosen?
A sample of about 110 schools is drawn from all mainstream schools, both publicly funded and independent. Schools are randomly selected by the OECD, and high participation rates are required for a country to be included. If a school is unable to participate, a substitute school, also chosen randomly by the OECD, is invited in its place.

How are students chosen?
In each school, 35 students in the age group will be randomly chosen by the OECD to take part. Small schools will be able to participate with fewer than 35 students if necessary. High student participation rates are also required to meet the international sampling requirements.

What will schools need to do?
Schools do not need to administer or collect the tests and questionnaires. A trained PISA administrator will bring everything to the school and run the session. All marking will be done by the Scottish Government’s contractors, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
Schools will also be asked to complete a questionnaire about their school as part of the survey.

What will students need to do?
The assessment lasts about two hours, and may contain questions on maths, science and/or reading. They will also be asked to complete a questionnaire on their background and on their attitudes and experiences. The survey will take place at their school, during normal school hours, and will be in keeping with the sort of work they usually carry out. There is no need for any special preparation or studying. All students will receive a certificate to thank them for representing Scotland in the survey.

Is PISA in line with the Curriculum for Excellence?
PISA is an international assessment and so is not based on any country’s curriculum. However, its emphasis on assessing literacy in science, maths and reading i.e. the application of knowledge and skills for life rather than simply curriculum knowledge, is similar to the principles and emphasis of CfE.

What will happen to the results of PISA 2012?
The Scottish Government will publish results in December 2013, alongside the OECD’s publication of their international report. All published data will be anonymous. No students will be identified by name in the data and names of schools will not be included in any national and international reports. The findings from the survey will inform education policy in Scotland and other countries, and will be used to improve teaching and learning in maths, science and reading for students around the world.

What were the results of the last PISA survey in Scotland?
The PISA 2009 results showed that Scotland was above the OECD average in reading and science and similar to the OECD average in maths. It also showed that the background of Scottish students had a larger effect on their performance than in many other countries.
The full Scotland report is available here

What has been done to minimise the burden on schools?
Most of the tasks involved in PISA will be carried out by National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) administrators. NFER will reimburse schools for the cost of one day’s cover for any administrative tasks carried out by the school. Scotland has withdrawn from TIMSS and PIRLS, and reduced the size of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) by about 75 per cent compared to the 2008 SSA.

MARCH 2012 – YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED:Q: @CatMill on twitter asked:
“Could Scotland follow Finland’s lead to ditch content-focussed TIMSS & focus on pedagogy & skills analysis via PISA? #ScotPISA @engagefored”

A: Mal Cooke, Scotland’s represetative on the PISA board replied:
 ”Hi Cat, actually Scotland has already pulled out of TIMSS and PIRLS. This was in order to reduce the survey burden on schools, and we agreed that PISA was the most suitable assessment to keep.”


Where can I get more information?
As well as our main PISA section on Engage, you can find information on the following websites:

Scottish Government:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/PISA

For more information on the OECD and PISA
go to: www.pisa.oecd.org

For more information on the management of the PISA 2012 survey
Scotland, go to: www.nfer.ac.uk/PISA