Programme for International Student Assessment

CAE and New York City Department of Education Present Case Study on Innovative Periodic Performance-Based Assessment Program

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
NCSA, Partnership, OPA, CAE, Sparks, Student, NYCDOE, National Conference, Science, Thought, School, Achievement Medal, Council, Mathematics, Programme for International Student Assessment, Conference, Nursing, Management, Tutoring, Education

New York City Public Schools is the largest school district in the country, serving 1.1 million students and 75,000 teachers in more than 1,800 schools.

Key Points: 
  • New York City Public Schools is the largest school district in the country, serving 1.1 million students and 75,000 teachers in more than 1,800 schools.
  • The decade-long collaboration includes a rich portfolio of baseline, benchmark, and end-of-year performance-based assessments for New York City students in grades 3-12.
  • CAE designs and develops performance tasks, scoring rubrics, and teacher scoring guides in subject areas including mathematics, science, English language arts, social studies, visual arts, and physical education.
  • These periodic assessments are designed to inform instruction to better prepare students for end-of-course assessments, college and careers.

Why reading books is good for society, wellbeing and your career

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Yoga, Learning, IPhone, Employment, Depression, Education, Friends, Smartphone, Anxiety, Reading, Structural load, Aggression, OECD, Research, Dopamine, Brain, Area studies, Bibliotherapy, Science, Thought, Book, Social media, Comment, Immersion, Pleasure, Knowledge, Empathy, Mathematics, Mental health, Environment, Programme for International Student Assessment, Female, Social, Nursing, Medical imaging, Toy, Tutoring, TikTok, Google

Twitter doubled the length of tweets in 2017 to 280 characters, but the typical length is more like 33 characters.

Key Points: 
  • Twitter doubled the length of tweets in 2017 to 280 characters, but the typical length is more like 33 characters.
  • Reading fiction can increase your capacity for empathy, through the process of seeing the world through a relatable character.
  • Our research shows reading is as strongly associated with curiosity as interest in science, and more strongly than mathematical ability.
  • That happens too, but our research has specifically been to investigate the role of reading in the development of curious minds.

Tracking reading and curiosity

    • The survey data is rich enough to develop proxy measures of reading and curiosity levels.
    • It includes participants’ scores in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment tests for reading, mathematics and science ability.
    • There are survey questions about time spent reading for pleasure, time reading newspapers or magazines, and library use.


    We used statistical modelling to control for environmental and demographic variables and distinguish the effect of reading activity as a teenager on greater curiosity as a young adult. This modelling gives us confidence that reading is not just correlated with curiosity. Reading books helps build curiosity.

Gloom and doom-scrolling

    • No matter what your age, deep reading has benefits over social-media scrolling.
    • The short-term dopamine rush of scrolling on a device is an elusive promise.
    • Our limbic brain – the part of the brain associated with our emotional and behavioural responses – remains trapped in a spiral of pleasure-seeking.
    • Studies show a high correlation between media multitasking and attention problems due to cognitive overload.
    • The effect is most evident among young people, who have grown up with social media overexposure.

Tips to get back into books


    If you are having difficulty choosing between your phone and a book, here’s a simple tip proven by behavioural science. To change behaviour it also helps to change your environment. Try the following:
    You’ll feel better for it – and be prepared for a future employer asking you what books you’re reading.

NWEA Launches Competition to Raise Interest in Data Science

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Organization, Science, Student, NWEA, Data, Data science, Competition, Mathematics, Programme for International Student Assessment, Research, Parental consent, Reading, Black, Male, Knowledge, Growth, Management, Tutoring

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA — a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students globally – announced today a new competition for high school students focused on data science. The NWEA Data Science for Everyone (DS4E) Competition seeks to encourage diverse students to become interested and involved in data science. Growing in diversity is a critical need as this field continues to be male-dominated (74% of data science professionals are male) workforce, with about only 4% of all data science professionals identifying as Black and 6% as Hispanic.

Key Points: 
  • The competition aimed at high school students hopes to build awareness and career interest in the data science field.
  • PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA — a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students globally – announced today a new competition for high school students focused on data science.
  • The NWEA Data Science for Everyone (DS4E) Competition seeks to encourage diverse students to become interested and involved in data science.
  • Throughout the competition, students will have opportunities to engage with research scientists at NWEA and learn about the data science field.

Alef Education expands digital learning agreement to reach 1.5 million students in Indonesia

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 15, 2022
Learning, Reading, Programme for International Student Assessment, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, United Arab Emirates, CEO, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Education, Student, Curriculum, AI, Big data, Programme for International Student Assessment (2000 to 2012), Ministry, OECD, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia), Partnership, School, Platform, Mora, Achievement, Tutoring

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to foster digital education and in line with the UAE's efforts to promote smart transformation in education and knowledge sectors, Alef Education, a leading global education technology provider that empowers 21st-century learning, has partnered with Indonesia's Ministry of  Religious Affairs (MoRA), for the extension of its free pilot program, allowing 1.5 million learners to benefit from its award-winning digital learning platform.

Key Points: 
  • Alef Education and the Ministry signed an agreement in November 2020 to transform the education sector in Indonesia using advanced education technologies that deliver personalised learning experiences for students and improve learning outcomes.
  • Geoffrey Alphonso, CEO, Alef Education, said: "At Alef Education, we are committed to transforming the global education industry, and our partnership with Indonesia has proven highly successful.
  • Since its inception, Alef Education has impacted the lives of more than 670,000 students from over 4,000 schools in the UAE, Indonesia, and the US, and now an additional 1,500,000 students across Indonesia.
  • The award-winning Alef Platform provides AI-powered learning and teaching solutions that leverage real-time data to drive improvements across the education ecosystem.

ECNU Review of Education Special Issue Explores Shadow Education in the Nordic Countries

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 5, 2021
Learning, Journal, Programme for International Student Assessment, Curriculum, Normal school, European Union, Democracy, Union, Growth, Christensen, Research, East China Normal University, Policy, Tutoring, Editorial, Erosion, Nordic countries, Comparative, Volume Two, Management

While research on the subject has been growing, shadow education in the Nordic countries is still underexplored.

Key Points: 
  • While research on the subject has been growing, shadow education in the Nordic countries is still underexplored.
  • The special issue of the ECNU Review of Education Contradictions of Egalitarianism: Nordic Ways of Shadow Educationprovides new insights into shadow education with analysis in the Nordic context.
  • With contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in the field, the special issue explores how these circumstances led to the rise of shadow education in the Nordic countries.
  • Link to the research summary video: https://youtu.be/nBVzHH1605M
    Title of original paper: Shadow Education in the Nordic Countries: An Emerging Phenomenon in Comparative Perspective

OECD "PISA for Schools" test now available across the UK, announces online assessment provider Janison

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
School, D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Organization, OECD, Programme for International Student Assessment, COVID-19, European Conservatives and Reformists Group Executive, Accreditation, United Kingdom, Benchmarking, Programme for International Student Assessment (2000 to 2012), Knowledge, Education, Learning, Directorate, Mathematics, Science, Student, Human, Reading, Technology, Motivation, Tutoring

"PISA for Schools" is an online assessment that supports individual school improvement efforts using benchmarking based on the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Key Points: 
  • "PISA for Schools" is an online assessment that supports individual school improvement efforts using benchmarking based on the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
  • Janison is an Australian publicly listed education technology developer and OECD knowledge partner, which has been achieving world-firsts in online learning and assessment since the late 1990s.
  • Its assessment platform, Janison Insights, delivers 6.5 million tests per year across 117 countries and powers the "PISA for Schools" test.
  • Sara Ratner, Group Executive OECD PISA for Schools at Janison, said early conversations indicated UK schools are eager to participate.

Leading Researcher Partnered with CoderZ to Write a White Paper on Fostering and Assessing Students Creativity and Collaboration Skills

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 9, 2021
Computer Science Teachers Association, NGSS, Project, CSTA, NAEP, Computer science, Creativity, Knowledge, Life, Engineering, Programme for International Student Assessment (2000 to 2012), Learning, Organization, Next Generation Science Standards, Physics, Programme for International Student Assessment, Harvard University, Curriculum, Research, Student, Education, STEM, National Assessment of Educational Progress, Workforce, Management, Tutoring

Titled "CoderZ Learning Outcomes Framework: Fostering and Assessing Creative Thinking and Collaboration Skills in Robotics Programming Curriculum," the paper shares the research-based foundations upon which CoderZ curriculum's approach is built to enable educators to develop these critical life skills with their students.

Key Points: 
  • Titled "CoderZ Learning Outcomes Framework: Fostering and Assessing Creative Thinking and Collaboration Skills in Robotics Programming Curriculum," the paper shares the research-based foundations upon which CoderZ curriculum's approach is built to enable educators to develop these critical life skills with their students.
  • "All students need STEM knowledge and skills to thrive in our increasingly STEM-driven world," said Dr. Rosen.
  • "CoderZ curriculum is strategically designed to advance students' critical life skills through learning and discovering concepts in robotics and Computer Science" said Hana Zimmerman Karl.
  • Readers of the white paper will also find samples of CoderZ robotics and computer science projects designed to cultivate creative thinking and foster collaboration skills.

Fraser Institute News Release: International math test scores decline nationwide over recent 15-year period

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Education, Articles, Human activities, Educational research, OECD, Educational psychology, Standards-based education, Programme for International Student Assessment, Educational assessment

Conducted every three years, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is the most extensive and widely accepted measure of academic proficiency among lower secondary school students around the world.

Key Points: 
  • Conducted every three years, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is the most extensive and widely accepted measure of academic proficiency among lower secondary school students around the world.
  • And even in the provinces own assessments, math scores have declined.
  • By almost every measure, math scores are declining across the country, said Vincent Geloso, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the study.
  • Policymakers and educators need to understand the severity of these declining math results, and should seriously consider ways to reverse the trend.

American 15-year-old students show no progress since 2012 in learning financial literacy skills

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Education, Articles, OECD, Academic disciplines, Educational research, Reading, Standards-based education, Literacy, Financial literacy, Programme for International Student Assessment, Educational assessment, Literacy in the United States

The score for U.S. students was unchanged since the last time the financial literacy assessment was conducted in 2015 and since the first financial literacy assessment in 2012.

Key Points: 
  • The score for U.S. students was unchanged since the last time the financial literacy assessment was conducted in 2015 and since the first financial literacy assessment in 2012.
  • U.S. White and Asian students scored higher than the country's average, and black and Hispanic students scored below the U.S. average.
  • In 2018, 20 education systems participated in the PISA financial literacy assessment, 13 of which were OECD members.
  • It was not measurably different from the U.S. average score from the previous financial literacy assessment (2015) or the first financial literacy assessment (2012).

American Youth Stagnant Reading Skills Since 2000 is a National Disgrace

Retrieved on: 
Friday, December 13, 2019
Education, Articles, Humans, Educational research, OECD, World Literacy Foundation, Achievement gaps in the United States, Literacy, Programme for International Student Assessment

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "The low level reading skills is a national disgrace and particularly a real problem in low income communities and the disadvantaged,"said the CEO of the World Literacy Foundation, Mr Andrew Kay.

Key Points: 
  • GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "The low level reading skills is a national disgrace and particularly a real problem in low income communities and the disadvantaged,"said the CEO of the World Literacy Foundation, Mr Andrew Kay.
  • "The release of an international education report called PISA earlier this month highlighted that reading has been stagnant since 2000.
  • "The achievement gap in reading between high and low performers is widening."
  • project is focused on working in communities where more than 40% of children are struggling to read.