The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA ) report recently published by OECD analyses tests taken every 3 years by by 15-year-olds in the core academic disciplines of reading, maths and science.
This has been widely reported in the press as it gives comparisons for those taking the tests across approximately 70 countries; for example:
Additional comparative data, Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS), was published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in November 2016 and is the longest running, large scale international assessment of mathematics and science education in the world. This looks at assessment of mathematics and science in pupils aged 10 and 14 years. It takes place every four year with more than 600,000 students participating in 2015.
Similarly this has been reported, although not quite as widely as PISA, in:
As people who work at the ‘chalk face’ with young people, it is interesting to review and discuss the data with colleagues – is this a true reflection of the attainment of students world wide; can we rely on the validity of the test results as an indication of the quality of education and well being/ personal development of the pupils? Should British schools be looking to high performing countries as models of practice?
