Final preparations are being made in Scottish schools for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 study. PISA is the world’s biggest international education survey – now involving students from more than 70 countries. The programme is run in Scotland by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and has been developed jointly by member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Purpose of PISA:
- To compare the learning of students in different countries
- To investigate what students think about their learning
- To compare educational systems and school policies
- To help governments make decisions about educational policy.
In Scotland, 4000 learners, aged 15 years, from 116 schools will be included. The testing will take place during school time between 2 March and 2 April 2015 and will last around half a day. All tests for this study will be undertaken on a computer.
PISA takes place every 3 years – the first one was in 2000. In each survey there is one main subject. In the 2015 PISA survey, the main subject is science and all students will answer some science questions. Most students will also answer questions on reading, maths or problem-solving.
The PISA survey represents a good opportunity to gain an external perspective on young people’s experiences in science for those who have experienced Curriculum for Excellence.
