An introduction to PISA and the type of assessments used Module 1 1

Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations Module aims To introduce or refresh colleagues’ understanding of PISA and the types of assessments used. To establish a link to personal practice with regard to developing the skills of learners so that they are able to use experiences from across the curriculum and apply them to PISA assessments. 2

Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations Module objectives To gain an insight into the PISA survey. To increase awareness of how Wales has performed in relation to PISA To gain an awareness of the types of assessment utilised within PISA. To reflect on the place of PISA within Wales and within one’s own practice. 3

What do you already know about PISA? 4

Quiz Question 1 What does the acronym PISA stand for? a) Plan for International Student Assessment b) Programme for International Student Assessment takes place every three years with a different focus each year. Last round was 2009 and the focus was reading. c) Programme for International Schools Assessment 5

Quiz Question 2 In 2009 the PISA survey consisted of tests and questionnaires. What did the questionnaires address? a) Learners’ attitudes to reading only. b) Learners’ attitudes to reading, mathematics and science. c) Learners’ attitudes to reading, aspects of school management and school climate. 6

Quiz Question 3 What three areas do the PISA tests assess? a) Literacy, numeracy and science. b) Reading, mathematical literacy and scientific literacy. c) Reading, mathematics and ICT. 7

Quiz Question 4 What age are the learners when they participate in PISA tests? a) 15 This age group was chosen as the pupils are nearing the end of their compulsory education b) 17 c) 12 8

Quiz Question 5 Which of these types of schools in Wales were excluded in the sampling frame in 2009? a)Special schools and pupil referral units. If it is expected that the majority of pupils in a school will not be eligible to participate in PISA, they are allowed to be exempt. b)Maintained schools. c)Independent schools. 9

Quiz Question 6 How can schools use the data from the PISA tests? a)To prepare the learners for the global knowledge economy of the 21 st century. b)To reveal common patterns among high performing schools. c)As a benchmark, to show what is truly possible in education. They are all correct! Which do you think is the most important way data from the PISA survey can be used by schools? 10

Corporate slide master With guidelines for corporate presentations Task What is the most important way data from the PISA survey can be used by schools? 11

How well did Wales do in PISA 2009? 12

Higher Other countries compared to Wales Same Lower 13

Higher Reading: comparison with Wales Same Lower 14

Higher Mathematics: comparison with Wales Same Lower 15

Higher Science: comparison with Wales Same Lower 16

Question: Why did Australia and South Korea perform better than Wales in the 2009 PISA survey? 17

PISA survey 2009 Mathematical literacy Scientific literacy Reading Learner and school management questionnaires 18

With guidelines for corporate presentations Learner and school management questionnaires Pupil Questionnaire Pupils’ economic and social backgrounds, study habits, and attitudes to reading and reading activities in school School Questionnaire School’s size, intake, organisation, reading activities available in the school ( Bradshaw et al., 2009, page 1) 19

Task Application to practice 20

Application to practice 21

master With guidelines for corporate presentations PISA sample questions In groups, consider: Why might learners find PISA difficult? What skills did you need to answer the questions? 22

master With guidelines for corporate presentations Why learners might find PISA difficult Too much text/reading. Too much information. Learners don't know how to answer. The questions are long and presented in unfamiliar layouts. Learners don't understand the questions. They give up too easily. They are afraid to be wrong. 23

Review of professional practice 24 Changes I can implement in my professional practice that contribute to PISA

References Bradshaw, J., Ager, R., Burge, B. and Wheater, R. (2010) PISA 2009: Achievement of 15-year-olds in Wales. Slough: NFER. OECD (2009) Take the test: sample questions from OECD’s Pisa assessments. [Online]. Available at: (Accessed: 24 October 2012). OECD (2010) PISA 2009 at a Glance. [Online]. Available at: (Accessed 24 October 2012). Welsh Government, DfES (2012) A guide to using PISA as a learning context. [Online]. Available at: (Accessed: 24 October 2012). 25

Further reading/resources OECD (2012), ‘PISA-Measuring student success around the world’, You Tube [Online]. Available at: (Accessed: 24 October 2012). 26