The politics of PISA: The media, policy and public responses in Norway and England

Hopfenbeck, Therese N.; Görgen, Kristine

doi:10.1111/ejed.12219

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…For instance, rather than using the detailed information that assessments offer to identify possible insights or shortcomings in mathematics education, both the media and policy-makers tend to focus more on overall results and the ranking of countries; they conceive the rank as a quality indicator (Auld and Morris 2016;Hopfenbeck and Görgen 2017). Some efforts may be observed in which agencies and official bodies attempt to break down assessment outcomes to better explain and inform policy-makers about assessment outcomes; one example is the OECD report series Education at a Glance.…”

Section: Policy Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

Nortvedt

Buchholtz

2018

ZDM Mathematics Education

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In educational contexts, assessments may be designed to target students, preservice teachers, or teachers, either as individuals or as representatives of a group, and for a multitude of purposes. One key aim of assessment in mathematics education is to provide evidence that can be used to make decisions about or improve mathematics education, which then raises questions about which aspects of mathematical competence should be assessed-as well as how and for what purpose. This review paper addresses three related themes: (1) issues related to the assessment process and to the development of assessments that can validly assess mathematical competence in all its complexity; (2) issues related to educational policy and policy-making based on assessment data, in particular the reciprocal relationship between assessment and policy; and (3) issues related to equity, such as gender issues or the achievement gap between majority and minority students. Awareness of the relation between assessment, teaching, and learning is shown throughout the paper. Strong relationships between the three focus areas are found, that impact assessment validity and call for further development of assessment practices in mathematics education.

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Section: Policy Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

Nortvedt

Buchholtz

2018

ZDM Mathematics Education

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“…In Norway, the amount of media coverage indicates that the media, policy makers and researchers pay significant attention to PISA (Bergersen, 2005;Hopfenbeck & Görgen, 2017;Sjøberg, 2014). The outcomes of PISA and other comparative studies have been extensively used to provide information for national white papers on Norway's education system (Elstad et al 2009) and in policy making (Baird et al 2016;Elstad et al 2009;Tveit 2014).…”

Section: Use Of Pisa Results For Policy Making In Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy impact of PISA on mathematics education: the case of Norway

Nortvedt

2018

Eur J Psychol Educ

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This article addresses the policy implications of participation in international large-scale assessments (ILSAs), particularly the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the ways in which such implications might influence mathematics education. Taking Norway as a special case, this discussion focuses on insights into teaching, learning and assessment practices that can be inferred from the PISA study, and how participation in ILSAs has contributed to educational policy and even changed policy makers' perspectives on schools, teachers and students. Following publication of the PISA 2000 results, Norway experienced a 'PISA shock', leading to the implementation of a national quality assessment system and national tests. In addition, changes were made to the mathematics curriculum for compulsory school and to mathematics teacher education. More recently, public debate has focused less on rank and league tables, shifting instead to the high number of low-achieving students and the low number of high achievers. Moreover, there has been little uptake of policy advice provided by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which focuses on strengthening accountability measures. Furthermore, although the Norwegian educational system in the past decade has undergone a decentralisation process, the educational system still follows the Nordic model, which focuses on equity and 'education for all'. Analyses of the Norwegian case indicate that policy making takes place in highly cultural contexts, and that international studies might be used merely to validate existing policy directions.

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“…I chose Greece as a contrasting example of a country that scored low in the rankings, and is a good candidate for "PIAAC-shock"that is, a response that has been observed in countries scoring unexpectedly poorly in international comparisons and which disrupts existing public discourse and puts pressure on policy-makers to respond with new reforms. (see Hopfenbeck & Görgen, 2017).…”

Section: Singapore and Greecementioning

confidence: 99%

Contributing to the common good? Media coverage of the international largescale assessment of adult skills (PIAAC) in four national contexts

Hamilton

2018

Studies in the Education of Adults

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This paper focuses on the rapidly expanding field of largescale international assessment surveys and their impact on the field of adult education and learning. I take the case of OECD's survey assessing adult skills (PIAAC) and situate it within the wider context of the datification of educational policy and practice. The claims made for the policy effects of surveys like PIAAC are far-reaching and include the promotion of economic growth and more inclusive and equitable societies. I examine how these claims are translated into national contexts by examining documentary data collected from the OECDs publicity materials and media coverage of the second round PIAAC survey findings in 2016 in four of the nine countries that took part: Singapore, Greece, New Zealand and Slovenia. Using a socio-material approach, I discuss how these discourses were managed by the OECD and national actors and show how the survey findings are framed and interpreted through existing public debates. The paper concludes that international assessments do not serve the goals of growth and equity in any straightforward way, since many interests and contextual factors may intervene to create a mismatch between the testers' intentions, media discourse and policy outcomes.

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The politics of PISA: The media, policy and public responses in Norway and England

Cited by 25 publications

References 26 publications

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

Assessment in mathematics education: responding to issues regarding methodology, policy, and equity

Policy impact of PISA on mathematics education: the case of Norway

Contributing to the common good? Media coverage of the international largescale assessment of adult skills (PIAAC) in four national contexts

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