Programme For International Student Assessment (PISA)
PISA is an international comparative study in which approximately 55 countries participate to assess how well students at age 15 - and therefore approaching the end of compulsory schooling in most countries - are prepared to meet the challenges of today’s societies.
The PISA assessment takes a broad approach to assessing skills and knowledge that reflect the current changes in curricula, moving beyond the school based approach towards the use of knowledge in everyday tasks and challenges. These skills reflect the ability of students to continue learning throughout their lives by applying what they have learned in school to non-school environments, evaluating their choices and making decisions.
PISA combines the assessment of three domain-specific areas such as:
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reading,
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mathematical and
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scientific literacy.
PISA covers these domains not so much in terms of mastery of the school curriculum, but of important knowledge and skills needed in adult life. Emphasis is on the mastery of processes, the understanding of concepts and the ability to function in various situations within each domain. This emphasis is particularly significant in light of the concern among nations to develop human capital, which is defined in PISA as: “the knowledge, skills, competencies and other attributes embodied in individuals that are relevant to personal, social and economic well- being." ... More