Back to PISA after 2009 poor show: how does it assess 15-year-olds?

Back to PISA after 2009 poor show: how does it assess 15-year-olds?

News:

1. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) has decided to participate in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), after 10 years.

Important facts:

2. About PISA

• It is a triennial international survey, first administered in 2000 and coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
• It assesses the quality of education systems across the world by evaluating students in science, mathematics and reading.
• PISA is a competency-based test designed which assess candidate’s ability to apply their knowledge to real-life situations.

3. Eligibility criteria to participate in PISA:

• It focuses on 15-year-old students who have either completed or at near the end of their compulsory education.
• PISA requires the examinees to have finished at least six years of formal schooling.

4. Significance of PISA

• PISA has been significant to influence educational practices in many countries.

• Unlike testing a student’s memory and curriculum-based knowledge, emphasises on individual’s capacity to solve real-life situations.

5. Criticism of PISA:

• Academicians have expressed concerns over the impact of such rankings upon students.
• It is based on standardised testing which relies heavily on quantitative measures.
• It does not focus upon long-term and enduring solutions but only immediate solutions.
• Low or no participation of SAARC nations, Greenland, Argentina and the entire African continent, except Algeria and Tunisia.

6. OECD’s response:

• OECD stated that there is no evidence to suggest PISA or any other educational comparison has caused a shift to short-term fixes.
• In fact, according to OECD, it has created opportunities for policy-makers and stakeholders to collaborate across borders.

7. India back to PISA:

•  India has participated only once in PISA in 2009, with participation of 16,000 students from 400 schools.
• India was placed 72nd among the 74 participating countries. The government blamed “out of context” questions for the poor show.
• It was then decided to boycott the 2012 and 2015 cycles of PISA.
• HRD Ministry in 2016 set up a committee to review the matter which recommended that the country participate in the 2018 test cycle.
• MoHRD formally approved the decision to participate in the 2021 cycle of PISA.