Industry News

Pearson Wins Bid To Develop PISA 2018 Frameworks

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 12/11/14

Pearson has won a competitive tender from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to develop the framework for 2018's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Widely used as a "benchmark for evaluating education systems worldwide by assessing the skills and knowledge 15-year-old students will need in their further academic education or for joining the workforce," according to a news release, the assessments take place every three years in approximately 70 countries. About 510,000 students, representing approximately 28 million worldwide, took the assessments in 2012. Beginning with the next round of testing next year, most students will be assessed on a computer.

"The frameworks define what will be measured in PISA 2018, how this will be reported and which approach will be chosen for the development of tests and questionnaires," according to information released by Pearson. The main goals for the 2018 frameworks will be:

• A redefinition of reading literacy that takes into account how students are taught to approach digital material, such as how to recognize credible Web sites;
• Review and adapt as necessary mathematics and science frameworks;
• Develop a framework for a student questionnaire designed to capture contextual information and other educational outcomes that may affect performance; and
• Develop a framework for global competence designed to measure student awareness of the interconnected world and their ability to deal with its demands.

"PISA 2018 has the potential to be the start of a new phase of our international assessments," said Andreas Schleicher, head of the PISA program at the OECD, in a prepared statement. "We can now make much smarter use of technology in how we test young people, and we need global competence as governments around the world seek to equip young people with the skills they need for life and employment."