Worldwide

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Cito is one of the members of a consortium, led by the Australian Council for Educational Research, that is implementing the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Developed jointly by OECD member countries, this programme aims to assess how far students approaching the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society.

PISA's primary focus is on public policy issues. Governments want to answer such questions as: 'Are our schools preparing children for full participation in society?' 'What educational structures and practices maximise the opportunities of students from disadvantaged backgrounds?' 'How much influence does the quality of school resources have on student outcomes?

PISA is designed to add to the understanding of these issues, in particular by providing a consistently reported set of results across a large number of countries.

In PISA, a large number of countries are working together to produce a method of student assessment, which is valid across countries, adept at measuring relevant skills, which is based on authentic life situations.

PISA assesses some of the knowledge and skills that enable students to participate fully in society and the economy and to become lifelong learners. Some elements, such as the mastery of key scientific concepts, are likely to be part of the school curriculum, but the PISA assessment will go beyond mastery of a defined body of knowledge of the type included in many school subjects.

As a consortium member, Cito actively contributes to the production of the reading, maths and science literacy tests, to the development of psychometric models for data analysis and to monitoring the quality of implementation in participating countries.

The first PISA assessment took place in 2000, the second in 2003 and the third cycle is planned for 2006. Three ‘domains’: reading literacy, mathematical literacy and science literacy form the core of each three-year cycle. Two-thirds of testing time in each cycle is devoted to a ‘major’ domain, assessed in depth. Major domains are: Reading literacy in 2000, Mathematical literacy in 2003 and Scientific literacy in 2006.
Samples of between 4,000 and 10,000 students will be assessed in each country. Students complete a variety of paper and pencil tasks, along with a questionnaire about their backgrounds and attitudes. PISA results are published in international and national reports. The OECD publishes a series of analytical reports examining the implication of PISA results for policy.

Project facts

	Name of Client:	Australian Council for Educational Research
	Funding:	Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
	Type of activities:	Test and item development Psychometric research and consultancy Quality monitoring Meeting support
	Project time:	March 1998 - December 2001
	Project scope:	51 staff months

Second cycle

Project time:

September 2001 - April 2004

Third cycle

Project time:

September 2003 - April 2007