Articles

Is an international assessment really necessary?

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Dec 19, 2016

American and British schools were deemed to be one of the best in the world that is, until data showed otherwise in recent years.Research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveal that American and UK students' achievement is stagnant, while Asian countries are on the rise.The highest-ranked education systems (East Asia) spent years studying the best practices pioneered in countries such as the Unites States, UK, Canada and Australia. Their innovative approaches are used by countries around the world. Policymakers and the public are constantly engaged in reform practices to "catch up" with these industry giants.See:Singapore:Smartest kids in the world Given these facts, how did countries such as the US drop its rank from the best, to merely average? And do the international comparisons really matter? As experts analyse these and other questions, it’s helpful to understand what the OECD data is, and how it is used.Also: One small country has raced past all others the the world's biggest education assessment

Who conducts the rankings? Why?

For several decades, OECD has conducted the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).OECD conducts research on the 65 countries that make up 90 percent of the world’s economies. The OECD Directorate for Education has found that student achievement in math and science are a sound indicator for future economic health. In other words, nations or cities with good schools can expect a healthy economy, whereas a nation or city with suffering schools can expect negative consequences to its economy. 

What does it measure?

PISA tests critical thinking in math, science, and reading of 15-year-olds. The test questions do not measure memorisation of facts, but rather demand that students draw on knowledge and real world problem solving skills. 

Who takes the exams?

PISA tests are administered to 15-year-olds in 65 countries, regardless of grade, achievement, and socio-economic status. It is an apples-to-apples comparison.US critics of PISA state that the United States has a higher percentage of disadvantaged/poor children and therefore cannot do as well as other OECD countries on this test. However, data from the OECD shows that the United States actually has around the OECD average of disadvantaged students. The United States however has more students from socio-economically advantaged backgrounds – in other words, students in the United States on the whole are better off than the average OECD countries. 

How can school systems use the data?

Because a high ranking on PISA correlates to economic success, researchers have concluded that PISA is one indicator of whether school systems are preparing students for the global knowledge economy of the 21st century.The PISA data, collected every three years, is useful on several levels. It reveals common patterns among high performing school systems. Likewise, the data also shows school systems with the greatest improvement have used common tactics at different points in the reform process.Perhaps the most encouraging trend is that school turnaround can happen quite quickly: Successful reforms have takes ten or fewer years in some countries.The data is also used for benchmarking. Successful school systems have many internal measures, but without greater context, it is difficult to understand what the “best” really is. International benchmarks show what is truly possible in education; they can be a healthy driver for reform efforts worldwide. 

What can we learn from high-performing nations?

Systemic change is possible within a few years.

With clear goals, strong and coordinated leadership at every level, most high-ranking countries were able to realise substantial improvements in their education system within five to ten years of launching reform efforts. The experts stressed working on reforms that affect every student and every educator. 

Invest in teachers

Recruit the best university students, and offer incentives (including opportunities for growth, and high-quality professional development) to retain a strong and highly effective teaching force. Many experts stressed the need for strong mentorship programmes. 

So is PISA really necessary?

Most asian politicians and policy makers (Malaysia included) agree that the country's performance in international assessments such as the PISA is necessary to bring about "positive change" and to revamp the education system to produce world-class students.However, there are two sides to every coin.There are PISA sceptics who dismiss international scores as worthless. While the US has never been in the first in these world assessment, the country has been doing pretty well economically and in terms of scientific invention and bussiness creativity-- in fact better on many measures than any other nation.Cambridge economist, Ha-Joon Chang mentioned that more education isn't going to make a country richer. He maintains education is valuable, not for raising productivity or GDP (gross domestic product) but for helping the country develop its potential for living a fulfilling and independent life.The table below shows a comparison of selected countries by PISA score and Nobel prize winners Clearly, the countries with the worst PISA scores are those with the most impressive Nobel record. This data suggests that though the international assessment can determine the areas in which the education system can improve as compared to other participating countries, it may not accurately determine a country's future success. “In science,” Einstein once remarked, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Politicians and many others appear to believe the opposite. Readers may judge which of the two is more likely to be right.