Session 6: Education- International databases and comparisons Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Session 6: Education- International databases and comparisons Joint OECD/ONS/Government of Norway workshop “Measurement of non-market output in education and health” London, 3-5 October 2006 Michael Davidson Indicators and Analysis Division Directorate for Education, OECD

Aim of presentation What internationally comparative data and indicators are available for measuring educational output/outcomes? PISA and other data

Available OECD education output data Student numbers For all levels of education Student instruction hours For ages 7-15 Graduate numbers Upper secondary and higher education Educational attainment of the population Stock of qualifications Programme for International Student Assessment- International student test scores PISA

PISA Measures the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in: Reading literacy Mathematics literacy Scientific literacy A comprehensive assessment of the yield of education systems to age 15 including and beyond the curriculum Measures what students can do, rather than what they have learnt Produces standardised scores Mean performance of 500 and standard deviation of 100 Within each subject domain

PISA 3 yearly cycle with major/minor domains 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 Reading Maths Science School and student background questionnaires Public/private schools Social background of students First language; migrant status Student engagement and motivation 57 countries in PISA 2006 All OECD, EU countries and others

Mean mathematics scores – overall (OECD) OECD (2004), Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003, Table 2.5c, p.356.

Variation in student performance in mathematics OECD (2004), Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003, Table 4.1a, p.383.

Mean scores in mathematics performance (2003) Raw scores and scores adjusted as if the mean ESCS would be equal in all OECD countries

Other relevant data series PISA => up to end of lower secondary education… Plus earlier assessment in the future? TIMSS (Trends in maths and science) Assessments in 4th and 8th grades in maths and science 4-yearly cycle, most recent in 2003 More curriculum focussed than PISA Less comprehensive country coverage of OECD/EU countries than PISA PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 4th grade reading literacy 5 yearly cycle, first in 2001, next in 2006 Country coverage more like TIMSS than PISA

Upper secondary and Higher Education No similar international student assessments….yet Available data on graduate numbers and rates But these measure output quantity not quality How to treat non-completers? Labour market outcomes relevant? Comparative employment rates Earnings differentials

Summary For schooling up to lower secondary education PISA can provide useful output and outcome measures, noting: It is a yield measure Equity as well as quality is a desirable outcome Other international studies can complement this Different phasing; country coverage But differences in methodology with PISA Upper secondary and higher education have to reply on more traditional measures Student numbers, graduates or possibly labour market outcomes

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