Dive Brief:
- The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), which administers the Programme for International Assessment (PISA) every three years, has turned to Pearson for tips on improving the exam for 2018.
- The PISA — which is given to a random group of 15-year-olds in 60 nations and used to rank those countries based on student proficiency — has been criticized in the past for placing too much emphasis on high-stakes testing.
- The goal of the partnership with Pearson is to reassess the purpose of the exam and ensure that it's not only statistically accurate, but usable and relevant.
Dive Insight:
John De Jong, a former educator who is now leading the PISA consultation for Pearson, wrote in a blog post about possible techniques for making the test more applicable to life in the real world. For example, he suggested expanding how the exam assesses literacy so it includes digital proficiency, such as being able to recognize credible websites and documents.
In May, academics from around the globe banded together to write an open letter asking Dr. Andreas Schleicher, the director of the PISA, to discontinue use of the high-stakes exam. The letter claimed the pressure, results, and rankings of PISA have created an international frenzy, resulting in many countries believing that their low scores mean their education systems are in "crisis," in turn leading those countries to place too much emphasis on standardized testing.