PISA International comparisons


Ministers regularly use the PISA international tables to back up policy decisions. Andy Powell looks at what lessons we should take from PISA


the Programme for International student assessment (PIsa) – operated by the organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (oECD) – its findings and the implications for UK policy. Every three years PIsa carries out examinations of


I


representative samples of 15-year-old students from a wide range of countries (65 in 2009, the findings being reported in December 2010), in order to assess reading, mathematical and scientific literacy – with questions “carefully designed to assess reasoning and application to the real world”, not just rote learning.here are some of my conclusions from the recent analysis.


Conclusion 1


UK performance in terms of the cognitive ability of 15-year-olds is mediocre. We come 28th out of 65, and we seem to be heading down the table. The leaders are Korea, Finland, hong Kong and singapore, and the top division also contains the likes of Canada, new Zealand, Japan,australia and the netherlands. Is this important? Well, yes. although there are


many other critical aspects of a good education, if you look at the questions in the tests you soon come to the conclusion that if a student performed well at them they would have a strong platform for future success. as the government has recently said about the


Independent thinking Show me the freedom!


EvEryonE has a view on education and, of course, direct personal experience from which to speak with authority, as they have been a pupil, an undergraduate, have children in education, or are involved in a school or college in some way. Many of us who are teachers bemoan the fact that


we rarely have a proper debate about what the purpose of education is or what form it should take, but instead are subject to the whims of politicians. In the recent past, the national focus has been more on school structures and accountability, in the form of inspections, testing and league tables, than on the purposes of education or what a good education should comprise. now things are changing, broader


issues are being addressed, but it still seems as if the ideas and initiatives are being rained down on us from above. The avowed intention to allow schools more control and freedom is in stark contrast to the somewhat inflexible policies emanating from central government. First there was the EBacc –


narrowly prescriptive and announced retrospectively without consultation. have you tried the new game? Would any of your friends/colleagues have qualified for the EBacc? Even at the most august gatherings few, if any, EBacc holders are to be found. I have o levels in the necessary English, mathematics, French, history (and indeed geography) – but, oh dear, I opted for Latin and Greek, so that meant it was only General science for me – an EBacc failure! next came the Wolfreview, recommending


80 per cent academic subjects and only 20 per cent vocational for all up to the age of 16, along with re-sits in English and mathematics until they pass GCsE at grade C. Meanwhile, universities may be given strict admissions quotas – no academic freedom there! I am a great supporter of giving all pupils a


decent education and “passports” in the form of valuable qualifications in English and mathematics, but endless re-sits between the ages of 16 and 19


are probably not the best way forward. Many of the problems which both teachers and students experience in secondary school stem from the fact that a relatively high proportion of children reach the age of 11 with limited achievements in English and basic mathematics and then struggle to cope with the demands of the extended secondary curriculum. a child who is struggling may well become bored and disaffected and the downward spiral begins, usually with poor attendance and low-level disruptive behaviour. I do realise that we are many years into the era of wall- to-wall literacy and numeracy in the primary curriculum, but that has involved so many targets and tests that “hoop-jumping” has very often become more important than kindling a genuine passion for reading, writing and maths. Most teachers are very eager to be creative and inspirational but the


“floor targets” loom excessively large. Teachers are under huge pressure.


Targets have to be met, examinations passed, and we are often held responsible for all of society’s ills, too. now, we are also subjected to celebrities on television trying to prove that they can be so inspirational that even the most disaffected student


will discover a passion for learning. Where will it all end? a last minute insertion of art, sailing, music, politics,


law and cookery into the EBacc?a national register of celebrities available, free of charge naturally, to turn round any school that


is not rated by ofsted as “good”? or will we see more celebrities setting up free


schools and academies and will these free schools and academies follow the EBacc curriculum, or the Wolf curriculum, or will they be free to teach what and how they wish? If freedom really is the overarching principle in education policy, it is certainly being heavily disguised.


• Marion Gibbs is headmistress of the independent James Allen’s Girls’ School in London.


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T Is not surprising in a global world that more attention is being given to international benchmarking.neither should it surprise us that such international comparisons are increasingly being used by politicians to justify their views on UK education policies – selectively pulling out the plums that suit their argument.


It is time to make sure we understand the nature of


curriculum, we must ensure that our standards in these core subjects are benchmarked against the best, and then ensure all children have excellent support in reaching these standards.


Conclusion 2


The UK’s relatively poor performance cannot be explained by spending per-student, class size, parental education, levels of disadvantage, or levels of immigrants. Fact.


Conclusion 3


Pre-school education is very important. In the UK, the performance advantage of students having attended pre- primary education for less than one year is equivalent to about 1.5 school years at age 15, and for those attending for more than one year it is about two school years.


Conclusion 4


The higher the quality and status of teachers, the more likely you are to have a high performing education system. of course this does not automatically mean that teaching should only be for top graduates. Class of degree is just one indicator of potential excellence, and for those teaching essential practical, technical and enterprise subjects, for example, different indicators will be required. It is also no good recruiting the very best as


teachers unless teacher training is up to snuff and the environment in which they find themselves is one where they are supported, trusted and given a high degree of autonomy in what and how they teach. The emphasis on raising the standards and status of teachers should be continued.


Conclusion 5


There is no one best way of doing things – the key is a system that is coherent, consistent and appropriate to a particular country’s culture and stage of development. The leading countries have employed very different methods, but they are all part of coherent and consistent strategies aligned to their culture. There is great stress on testing in some (hong Kong, shanghai) with long days and traditional teaching methods. In Finland, on the other hand, there are no private schools, there is a broad and non-directive curriculum, teachers are drawn from the top 10 per cent of graduates, and the only test students take that counts is the one required to enter university – their line being to trust well prepared teachers with maximum autonomy.


What does this all mean?


The key question is whether our current policy direction of travel is coherent, consistent and appropriate for our culture. We have a very diverse and highly differentiated school system, aligned to class and wealth. For example, in the UK, 77 per cent of the between-


schools differences in student performance is explained by differences in socio-economic background, the second highest of any country (the oECD average is 55 per cent). Furthermore, the UK’s privately managed schools display a performance advantage on reading equivalent to 1.5 years’ schooling at age 15 (twice the oECD average). however, once the socio-economic background of students and schools is accounted for, UK state schools come out with the equivalent of a half year’s schooling advantage (three times more than the oECD average). PIsa’s conclusions from across all countries include:


• students with a disadvantaged background will generally do well if put in a school where most students are well off.


• selection tends to reinforce inequalities. • Too much differentiation by ability lowers overall system performance.


Thus PIsa states: “Competition between schools


and a big difference between achievement in top and bottom schools is not going to work if those from poor socio-economic backgrounds are unable or perceive


themselves as unable to get into top schools – it is then deleterious on overall results.” This seems to me to be where debate needs to focus.


SecEd


• Andy Powell is an educationalist with expertise in vocational, practical and skills-based education.


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