If your school is part of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) then you might be wondering what can you expect from the experience of participation? As we say in Blog 1 of this series, PISA can help us to share understanding of trends and changes in education around the world: a holistic view of how learning adaptations happen as they happen.

The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is not just another test for schools which occurs every three years. PISA has an authentic educational aim: to examine not only what 15-year-olds know towards the end of their compulsory schooling in science, reading, and mathematics, but crucially what they can do with that knowledge. The data collected in PISA studies (through tests and questionnaire surveys) allows participating countries to learn from policies and practices in other countries and to monitor changes and trends in education over time in the three domains listed above. For example, such data can help us understand the impact of the covid pandemic on learning and attainment; and how pupils engage with digital tools.