Dive Brief:
- Academics from around the globe banded together to write an open letter asking Dr. Andreas Schleicher, the director of the OECD's Programme for International Assessment (PISA), to discontinue use of the high-stakes exam.
- PISA is given every three-years to a random group of 15-year olds in 60 nations, and the results are published with a ranking for each country.
- The letter claims the pressure, results, and rankings of PISA have created an international frenzy resulting in many countries believing their low scores means their education systems are in "crisis," and that those countries are placing far too much emphasis on standardized testing.
- The letter, which was published by The Guardian, cites the creation of Race to the Top in response to the United States' low PISA scores.
Dive Insight:
In addition to listing ways in which they see PISA as detrimental — the emphasis on standardized testing, the bias toward the role of economics in schools, the partnerships with for-profit companies that gain from the negative results — the academics specified ways in which the exam works against "good education reform".
Like any good critique, however, the letter ends with seven suggestions for improving the current PISA system, such as providing the test results in a less-sensationalized manner, being up front about for-profit partnerships, and ensuring the mission of the test reaches beyond a purely economic assessment of public education.