PISA: Programme for International Student Assessment

The full form of PISA is Programme for International Student Assessment. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils’ scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. It was first performed in 2000 and then repeated every three years. Its aim is to provide comparable data with a view to enabling countries to improve their education policies and outcomes. It measures problem solving and cognition. In a world where ‘Google knows everything’, a shift towards competency-based education system becomes crucial.

People are no longer rewarded on the basis of knowledge utilisation. It is hard to deliver competency based education in classrooms, because it requires a very different learning and teaching pattern. PISA is a two-hour long test and is conducted via computer. Students, who are 15-year-old and have either completed or are near the end of their compulsory education in most countries, are considered eligible. A student also requires to have finished at least six years of formal schooling. PISA does not test a student’s memory and curriculum-based knowledge. However, it faces criticism over the way it is being conducted. Many feel PISA has contributed to an obsession with standardised testing relying heavily on quantitative measures.

Other full forms of PISA