OECD PISA Test for Schools.
Actionable insights that help schools across the globe measure their academic performance and learning environment.
POWERED BY
The goalposts for educational success are shifting
As an educator, you know it’s critical to prepare your students to enter the global economy. The benchmark is no longer improvement by national standards alone, but how education systems compare internationally.
PISA for Schools aims to unlock the power of PISA to provide schools with an international benchmark of their students’ learning outcomes, well-being and socio-emotional skills. We hope it will enable educators to leverage the experience of the world’s leading school systems to improve their policies and practice.
Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for the Directorate for Education and Skills
What is the OECD PISA for Schools test?
It’s a school-level assessment that provides your school with a holistic “health check”, offering valuable insights on academic performance, learning environment and how well your students can apply their knowledge.
The test is based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s world-renowned Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). While PISA delivers national-level results, PISA for Schools delivers school-level results.
How is it different from PISA?
How can the OECD PISA for Schools test empower my school?
Equip your students with 21st century skills and build capacity for data-driven school improvement. Here is why so many schools worldwide are already taking part in PISA for Schools.
Introduce competency-based assessment
The test measures your students’ ability to retrieve and creatively apply knowledge, via scenario-based questions.
Connect with and learn from other schools
Your participation gives you global peer-learning opportunities to inform professional development and exchange of best practices among teachers and school leaders worldwide.
Benchmark your school’s performance internationally
Sophisticated data and analysis allows your school to compare itself to others in your country and around the world.
Receive a holistic “health check” of your school and teaching environment
A multi-faceted, world-recognised exploration of your entire teaching system provides your staff with a leading indicator of academic outcomes.
Give your students a voice
Separately from the main test, a student questionnaire collects valuable insights about pupils’ family context, your school’s teaching environment and students’ attitudes toward learning.
Make education decisions informed by data-driven insights
Test results pinpoint areas where you can make instructional practice improvements and program changes – at both a school and state level.
FREE SAMPLE REPORT
OECD PISA for Schools
Take a sneak peek at the actionable insights your school will receive in this sample copy of the 80+ page PISA for Schools 2020 report.
Fast Facts
15-year-olds
Like PISA, PISA for Schools assesses high school students near the end of their compulsory education. A maximum of 85 students per school sit the test.
141 items, 3 subject areas
Questions measure how well your students can apply their knowledge creatively to solve problems in novel contexts within reading, mathematics and science.
2 hours
Students are given two hours to complete the main part of the assessment, followed by a break before completing the student questionnaire.
Student survey
A 30-minute survey uncovers test-takers’ attitudes towards learning, including instrumental motivation and self-efficacy.
Efficient, online delivery
The test runs on the award-winning Janison Insights online assessment platform, which offers you an enhanced user experience via an intuitive dashboard, easy invigilation and streamlined reporting.
Comprehensive reporting
Participating schools each receive a detailed, 80+ page report that provides actionable insights into teaching practice and the school environment, as well as, world-scale comparative data.
While various student outcomes can be adequately measured by standardised test results and other assessments, the gold standard for accurately determining how students apply what they learn across a range of subject areas is via PISA for Schools (based on PISA). In addition, the OECD’s assessment of student satisfaction is a truly unique instrument no less useful than the exam results.
Dr. Michael K. Block, Co-founder, BASIS Charter School network
For all of the excellent rankings, results and student outcomes our BASIS Charter Schools and students have earned over two decades, their consistent high standing when compared to the best-educated nations worldwide, as measured by the PISA Exam and PISA for Schools, is perhaps the most noteworthy.
Stephanie T, BASIS Head of School and BASIS Charter School veteran of nine years
Global Crises Module:Guide your school’s education decisions post COVID-19
The global spread of COVID-19 has led to unprecedented disruptions in schooling around the world, leaving educators with many unanswered questions. How much learning did our students miss and what is the impact? How well were they able to access education at home when school buildings were closed down? How well prepared is our school for a similar crisis in the future?
The OECD’s Global Crises Module is designed to help you answer these questions and more. It evaluates the educational impacts of COVID-19 disruption on your school and helps inform decisions on how to mitigate them.
14 questionsabout your school
11 questionsabout your students
Free
It’s an add-on module when you sign up for PISA for Schools
Online
Delivered online as part of PISA for Schools from January 2021
Frequently Asked Questions
Find out more about the costs, logistics, training and support, how to sign your school up for the test and more.
Any high school can take part.
Ideally a sample of 85 students per school. The minimum number of students to complete the test and survey is 42.
Students need to be between 15 years and 3 months to 16 years and 2 months in age to take part.
The cognitive test covers reading, mathematics and science. The questions measure how well students can apply their knowledge creatively to solve problems in novel contexts.
$7,000 AUD per school.
Yes, it is possible to test more students, but it is not necessary for the data and results. A pro rata price can be negotiated.
Testing windows are available in each country throughout the year.
More than 10 OECD countries already take part, including the UK, Russia, Spain, Japan and Thailand.
We do not hold personal information in the system. All we require is a unique identification number so that the school can identify the student. No student names go into the system.
The report is delivered approximately two months following the assessment.
Janison is the OECD’s education technology partner and delivers PISA for Schools – including the student interface and digital assessment engine. Janison also scores the test within the assessment platform software and consolidates the data into reports for the schools.
Most school staff require as little as one hour’s training to deliver the test.
Yes, our team is on standby throughout your testing event. We also provide proctor training as well as a comprehensive run sheet.
Yes, there is a demonstration site available here.
Simply click “Next”, “Next”, “Yes” and “Start” on the opening screens to view the sample questions.
Sign up or register your interest here.
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