I
n 2016, news headlines around the world her-
alded Singapore the leading country in global
education. “Singapore Teens Top Global Educa-
tion Ranks” wrote CNN. “Singapore Tops Latest
OECD PISA Global Education Survey,” declared
a December 2016 article in Education Journal.
“Singapore Tops Global Education Ranking,” an-
nounced BBC News in November 2016.
school to problems and situations they may en-
counter in real life. Unlike other global assess-
ments, PISA does not focus explicitly on curricu-
lar outcomes. Students are not asked to provide
memorized names or dates. Instead, test ques-
tions are designed to measure how well stu-
dents can apply their knowledge and analytical
skills to answer a variety of questions. This type
of testing seeks to measure knowledge “liter-
But who, or what, decides which country is acy.” In other words, the goal is to explore the
number one?
basic question: “What is important for citizens
to know and to be able to do?” 2
Over the last 20 years, intergovernmental and
independent research institutions have ad- The PISA mathematics framework includes both
ministered assessment surveys covering the a content dimension and a cognitive dimension.
subjects of reading, mathematics, and science PISA’s content dimension is organized by broad
to countries across the globe. The three most concepts—categories include space and shape,
prominent surveys are PISA (the Programme change and relationships, and quantity and un-
for International Student Assessment), TIMSS certainty. For the cognitive dimension, PISA de-
(Trends in International Mathematics and Sci- scribes important mathematical competencies
ence Study), and PIRLS (Progress in International in three areas: formulating situations mathe-
Reading Literacy Study). The governments of in- matically; employing mathematical concepts,
dividual countries voluntarily chose whether to facts, procedures, and reasoning; and inter-
participate in any given year.
preting, applying, and evaluating mathematical
outcomes.
There are key differences between PISA, TIMSS,
and PIRLS. The latter two are curriculum-based In addition to the content and cognitive dimen-
and require schools to cover certain content sion, PISA adds a third dimension that examines
for a designated number of years. Therefore, a the usage of mathematics within various con-
country’s weaker performance in TIMSS may be texts. Students are assessed in a broad range of
a result of schools failing to cover the necessary mathematics usage areas, ranging from usage
topics effectively, or at all. PISA, on the other in one’s personal life to occupational contexts
hand, focuses less on specific curriculum and to science and technology.
more on skills required in the modern world. 1
PISA includes test questions in which students
PISA: The Most Comprehensive Assessment apply mathematics to a variety of real-life sit-
uations, such as in school or society, that mea-
Studies on global education ranking often cite sures real-world application ability. 3
the PISA survey conducted by the Organization
for Economic Co-Operation and Development In the science assessment, students are not
(OECD).
asked to demonstrate their knowledge of spe-
cific scientific facts, such as the details of cell bi-
PISA tests fifteen-year-olds on science, read- ology or the difference between the mass and
ing, math, and collaborative problem-solving. weight of an object. Instead, questions chal-
The test, administered every three years since lenge students to apply their understanding of
2000, last took place in 2015. Around 540,000 science concepts and to evaluate an issue or sit-
students from seventy-two countries and econ- uation in a scientific manner. 4
omies took the 2016 test, up from 510,000 in
2012. The two-hour exam seeks to determine The three broad categories covered in the PISA
whether students can apply what they learn in science section assess a student’s ability to ex
46
SPRING 2017
Ranking Educational Systems Across the Globe
plain phenomena scientifically, evaluate and TIMSS: The Oldest International Assessment
design scientific enquiry, and interpret data
and evidence to form accurate scientific conclu- Beginning in 1995, the Trends in International
sions. 5
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) re-
mains the longest-running global assessment
Although the term “reading” is generally ac- survey of mathematics and science. The exam,
cepted to mean decoding the written word, the sponsored by the International Association
intention of the PISA assessment is to go be- for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
yond the basic act of reading. PISA evaluates (IEA) in Amsterdam, is administered every four
“reading literacy”, defined by the OECD as “un- years. In 2015, more than 580,000 fourth and
derstanding, using, reflecting on, and engag- eighth grade students from fifty-five countries
ing with written texts in order to achieve one’s took the TIMSS. 9
goals, develop one’s knowledge and potential,
and participate in society.”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multime-
dia/summing-up-results-from-timss-pisa.html
PISA’s reading questions examine a wide range
of cognitive competencies. Starting with basic The framework for testing mathematics in
decoding, questions also cover the knowledge TIMSS is organized around two dimensions. The
of words, grammar, and composition, as well as first is the content dimension, which specifies
knowledge about the world. Because of the in- the subject matter to be covered. The second
tegral part reading literacy plays in the success is the cognitive dimension, which specifies the
of individuals beyond the classroom, PISA is thinking processes that will be measured. 10
focused on assessing students’ capacity to suc-
ceed both in their academic endeavors as well Under the content dimension of TIMSS, the five
as their ability to successfully participate in their main areas covered are: numbers, measure-
communities and economic and personal lives. 6 ment, geometry, data, and algebra. Examples
of the questions asked in the content domain
When anal ysts rank education systems globally, include solving problems involving measure-
they often cite PISA as the primary system of ment, money, and simple proportions or read-
measurement. PISA is arguably the most com- ing, comparing, and representing data from ta-
prehensive of all global assessments, testing bles and graphs. 11
students in five categories, and has the farthest
global reach. More countries and students par- Under the cognitive dimension of TIMSS, stu-
ticipate in PISA than any other test.
dents are tested on their skill level in three ar-
eas: knowing, applying, and reasoning. Knowing
Following the release of the 2015 PISA scores, refers to the facts, concepts, and procedures of
Singapore stood out as the top-performing mathematics. Applying assesses students’ abili-
country, scoring number one in the categories ties to apply knowledge and conceptual under-
of math, science, and reading. Other top-per- standing to solve problems. Reasoning takes
forming OECD countries were Japan, Finland, questions a step further to include unfamiliar
Estonia, and Canada. 7
situations, complex contexts, and multi-step
processes. 12
High-performing countries share several fac-
tors believed to contribute to their success: The science content covered in TIMSS includes
high and universal expectations for all students, the fields of earth and life science, as well as
a strong focus on great teaching, a high level of physical science, including physics and chem-
resources targeted at struggling students and istry. The TIMSS is calibrated by grade level: a
schools, and a commitment to coherent, long- fourth grader will be tested on science content
term strategies to improve education success. 8 deemed appropriate for that grade level. 13
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