PISA-testing Students in the US
Posted on 20. Dec, 2011 by Brian R. in Education System
PISA is not only an Italian city in Tuscany, but also the abbreviation for Program for International Students Assessment. That means, the ability of 15-year old students in subjects like math is tested, but also general abilities like reading and understanding texts.
PISA is an international study commissioned and coordinated by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The study itself is realized by the single countries in their specific languages. Every country can decide for its own if to take part in or not. But of course: comparing the knowledge and abilities of students internationally is a big political issue.
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The test design and development are carried through by an international consortium, ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research). It is their job to create a test framework, and then the single countries can fill in their individual contents. The first assessment took place in 2000 and has been repeated every three years. Analyzing the results takes about one year, that means the first results have been presented in 2001. The last PISA administration was conducted in 2009 with a focus on reading literacy. The next PISA assessment will be administered with a focus on mathematics skills in 2012.
Reactions in the US
These first results created a big debate in the US, because of the comparatively low scores the pupils achieved. The scholars in 30 countries did a better job than those in the US. It showed that not necessarily those countries got the best results that spent most money for education. It also showed that poverty and bad results are not linked to each other as one might guess. Some critics in the US even claimed the PISA study is not able to test the US system appropriately. They suggested that the US students should no longer take part in the study. But this would be a tough decision: At the moment the countries take part in the study represent 90 % of the world’s economic power. If the US did not take part in PISA any more it would mean taking a lone and isolated way.
Photo: lightpoet – Fotolia