1. Programme for International Student Assessment PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students Warsaw, February 10, 2011 Carlos Pinto-Ferreira, Anabela Serrão – Portugal

2. Programme for International Student Assessment Educational policies (2005-2009) … following the discussion of PISA 2003 and PISA 2006 results … The concept underlying the policies implemented since 2005 in Portugal is that improvements on the efficacy and quality of the education system depend on improving equity PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

3. Programme for International Student Assessment Educational context in Portugal (2005) Relatively large inequalities in the wealth of families Disadvantaged background in the education of parents Highly selective school system PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

4. Programme for International Student Assessment …how to cope with a… Relatively large inequalities in the wealth of families Low income families were supported in financial terms (free meals, books and transportation for students) Very small schools (with less than 20 students per school) were closed (about 3000 in very small villages) and replaced by school centers A special programme for acquisition of laptops (with broadband internet access) by students at low cost was launched. The Magellan Project reached virtually every primary student Remedial plans for low performing students were implemented in all schools The National Plan for Reading was launched in order to improve reading proficiency and fostering good reading habits PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students Programme for International Student Assessment

5. …how to cope with a… Disadvantaged background in the education of parents Generalization of pre-primary education (3, 4 and 5 years old) to improve equality of opportunities for all students 12th grade was defined as the minimum educational requirement for all (extension of compulsory education in 3 school years) Education was considered as a full time occupation for primary school students (from 08:30am to at least 5:30pm) Extra curricular activities were introduced in primary school (English, French, Music, Sports and ICT from grade 1 to 4) The New Opportunities Programme was launched in order to bring young adults back to school PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

6. Programme for International Student Assessment …how to cope with a… Highly selective school system A dramatic decline of grade repetition was observed since 2005 (particularly in 9th grade from 21.5% to 12.8%). The grade repetition is associated with lower performance and a larger impact of socio-economic background on learning outcomes Reduction of the percentage of early school leavers through the implementation of school projects oriented to student success Higher enrollment of students in secondary education namely to the enlargement of vocational courses offer Implementation of the Action Plan for Mathematics including a project in each school, the training of teachers, more time for math lessons, the creation of a resource bank for math and the evaluation of textbooks PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

7. Programme for International Student Assessment …beyond and besides these main policies… Relevant organizational measures A new system of teacher evaluation, based on a peer system, was put in place to increase accountability A new system of school evaluation, based on visiting inspection experts, was implemented The efficiency of the school system was improved by reducing teacher absenteeism and replacing absent teachers The management of schools was changed to give greater autonomy to directors and to increase school accountability and orientation to student success The school director is elected by a council of teachers, parents, students, municipal leaders, and institution representatives to increase the entrenchment of school in the community PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

8. Programme for International Student Assessment …finally, other important initiatives… Other measures Teachers were provided training mostly on Portuguese language, mathematics and ICT All students in 4th, 6 th and 9th grades are exposed to annual national assessments in Portuguese language and mathematics. These universal assessments provide important information to students, parents and teachers The Technological Plan for Education equipped all schools with new computers, interactive whiteboards, video projectors and a local access network connected to high-speed broadband internet The School Modernization Programme was launched to renovate and modernize the school buildings aiming at the creation of an efficient and effective school building management system PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

9. Programme for International Student Assessment Some results 20062009Variation Reading472489+17 Mathematics466487+21 Sciences474493+19 PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

10. Programme for International Student Assessment Reading literacy Differences in percentages of performance levels – Portugal 2000 e 2009 PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

11. Reading literacy Between 2000 and 2009, Portugal reduced the share of low performing students (below proficiency level 2) by almost 9% points With this change in the student performances, Portugal reaches the OECD average Portugal is the fourth country of the OECD that most improved their reading performance This progression resulted from the reduction of the percentage of students with low performance (levels 1 and below 1) and the raising of the percentage of students with medium and higher performances (levels 4, 5 and 6 Programme for International Student Assessment PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

12. Programme for International Student Assessment Concluding remarks I Portugal is one of the OECD countries which has progressed in all 3 domains - about 20 points since 2006 Portugal is the fourth country of the OECD that most improved their mathematics performance Portugal is the second country of the OECD that most improved their science performance PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students

13. Programme for International Student Assessment Concluding remarks II In Portugal, about 40% of disadvantage students are resilient. These students show that overcoming socio-economic barriers is possible. The Portuguese school system is the 6th among the OECD countries in what respects the percentage of resilient students The index of teacher-student relations is very high in Portugal. For example, 89% of the Portuguese students agree or strongly agree that their teachers are interested in their well-being PISA 2009 Competences of Portuguese students