PISA 2012
What is PISA?
 Programme in International Student Assessment
 Developed jointly by member countries of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD)
 One of the world’s biggest international education
surveys, involving schools and students in over 60
countries.
 Run in the UK by the National Foundation for
Educational Research (NFER).
What is the OECD?
Established 1961
Based in Paris
Membership: 34
countries
OECD Headquarters Paris
 OECD
OECD Members
OECD’s Mission
“The mission of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is to promote
policies that will improve the economic and social wellbeing of people around the world.”
http://www.oecd.org
The OECD and Education
 Education is a big part of OECD’s
mission
 OECD publishes many reports on
education
The OECD and Education
The OECD and Education
The Programme in International
Student Assessment (PISA) is one of
OECD’s most important educational
surveys.
The PISA
Survey
What is PISA for?
 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
What happens in the survey?
 PISA takes place every 3 years – the first one
was in 2000.
 In each survey there is one main subject.
 In the 2012 PISA survey, the main subject is
maths and all students will answer maths
questions.
 Some students will also answer questions on
reading science and/or problem solving.
What else is involved?
 Students answer a questionnaire which has
questions about their background and about
their learning.
 There is also a school questionnaire which
asks about aspects of school policy and
organisation.
 In PISA 2012 the questionnaires will focus
on teaching and learning of maths.
How many countries take part?
 PISA 2000 43 countries
 PISA 2003 41 countries
 PISA 2006 57 countries
 PISA 2009 65 countries (and a further 10 took
part in 2010)
 PISA 2012 67 countries
PISA 2012
 Around 14,000 students in 500 schools
in the UK will take part in the survey.
 In total, around 14,000 students in 500
schools will take part in the UK.
 England, Wales, Northern Ireland and
Scotland will each have separate
reports.
The PISA paper based tests
 The tests take 2 hours.
 Each student has a different test
booklet.
 The booklets have questions on maths,
reading and science.
 There’s no special study or revision
needed.
The PISA Questionnaire
 The questionnaire takes about half an
hour.
 All answers are confidential – the
school will not see them.
 The questionnaire asks for some
information on homes and families.
 It also asks about attitudes to maths
and maths activities.
PISA Problem Solving
 Up to 14 pupils in each school will complete
PISA Problem Solving on school IT equipment.
 Problem Solving is a computer based test and
involves completion of real-life problems.
 The majority of students that have already
taken the test have enjoyed the experience of
taking a computer based test.
 Problem Solving takes approximately 1 hour of
students’ time.
What you need to bring
 A black biro pen and a ruler
 A calculator
 A book or some homework (but not
maths or science work)
Other information
 It will be useful if you know:
 Your parents’ or guardians’ jobs
 Your parents’ or guardians’ highest
educational qualifications
 You will be given a certificate to show
that you taken part in PISA
We hope you enjoy representing your
country in PISA 2012
Good Luck from the PISA
team at NFER!