PISA
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
This week on Engage is PISA Week.
Introduction
During March 2012 about 3,000 pupils in over 100 schools in Scotland will be taking part in the OECD’s PISA survey. They will be among the first of about half a million 15-year-olds, in 65 different countries across the world, taking part in the largest ever school-based assessment. The PISA survey consists of an assessment covering maths, reading and science, together with a questionnaire. The results will be published, once all the results are collated, in December 2013.
Below you can find out much more on PISA, why Scotland participates and how we use those results as well as see frequently asked questions in our PISA section.
Online Q and A with Scotland’s PISA Representative:
You can submit a question via Engage or on twitter using the hash tag (#ScotPISA) and Mal Cooke, Scotland’s representative on the OECD’s PISA Governing Board will be available to respond.
Want to discuss PISA? Contribute online using the #ScotPISA hash tag.
Why does Scotland take part?
PISA is the leading international survey of pupil performance, with all OECD countries and a growing list of other countries participating. This means we can compare how well we perform against all our major competitors. And because it is a survey, not just a test, it enables us to compare both attainment and attitudes to learning, looking deeper into why things happen. And we don’t just learn from Scotland’s results, PISA is also used to learn lessons from how other countries perform.
Want to know more on PISA? Read PISA - frequently asked questions.
Watch the OECD’s introduction to PISA video on youtube.
What is the OECD?
The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. It provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. They work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. An increasing part of their work is in education. www.oecd.org
PISA Facts – What we have found out based on our past participation
Just some of the finding on how Scotland compares internationally.
- Pupils who had attended pre-school for a least one year performed noticeably better at age 15 than those who had not attended pre-school.
- The effect of socio-economic background on pupils’ performance is greater in Scotland than the OECD average.
- Pupils reported above average levels of satisfaction with their teachers.
- Pupils performed better in reading non-continuous texts, such as tables, adverts and forms, than in reading more traditional continuous texts.
- Pupils showed a below average level of interest in reading, with about a quarter saying that reading was a waste of time.
- Scotland has never been below average in any of the twelve PISA assessments.
- About 29 per cent of pupils from less advantaged backgrounds performed at the highest levels in reading, similar to the average across the OECD.
- A greater than average proportion of pupils were high achievers in science.
- About a quarter of pupils reported that their teacher had to wait a long time before pupils settle down.
Timeline
- 2000 – First PISA survey, 43 countries participated, Scotland performed among the best.
- 2003 – Second PISA survey, 41 countries, Scotland dropped down the rankings.
- 2006 – Third PISA survey, 57 countries, Scotland again dropped down the rankings.
- 2009 – Fourth PISA survey, 65 countries, Scotland maintained its performance from 2006, above the average in reading and science, and average in maths.
- March 2012 – Fifth PISA survey takes place.
- December 2013 – Results of fifth PISA survey published.
Want to know more on PISA? Read PISA - frequently asked questions.
Watch the OECD’s introduction to PISA video on youtube.