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Programme for International Student Assessment

In further response to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the German state ministers of education together with the federal government have resolved to participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) launched by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This international student-achievement study is part of the OECD's indicator programme INES (Indicators of Education Systems). The fundamental aim of the project is to provide the OECD countries with data on 15-year-old students' knowledge, skills, and competencies in reading, mathematics, and science on a regular basis and in a reliable and nationally representative way. In addition to the core components of reading, mathematics, and science literacy, cross-curricular competencies and central motivational orientations necessary for methodical, self-regulated, and cooperative learning are assessed. The results are interpreted in view of sociodemographic characteristics of both schools and students, as well as the culture and opportunity structures of schools. The project involves three overlapping four-year cycles, each with a thematic focus. In the first cycle, reading was the major domain, with mathematics and science representing the minor components. Cross-curricular competencies spans all three of these domains, connecting them in the form of a general component. Over 30 OECD countries participated in the first phase of the project.

A consortium led by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is responsible for the international coordination of PISA. In Germany, a consortium consisting of scientists from seven different research institutions and steered by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shaped and implemented the first cycle of the project. Following a Europe-wide call for tenders, the consortium was awarded the contract for a project plan which expanded the international, descriptive study with national options that primarily serve analytical functions. The state ministers of education further decided to combine PISA-Germany with the first inter-state comparison of student achievement. Thus, PISA represents a significant element in the national monitoring system for educational outcomes which is gradually being developed in Germany.

The PISA Team

Cordula Artelt
Jürgen Baumert
Gundel Schümer
Mareike Kunter
Petra Stanat
Nele McElvany

Associated Scientists
Helmut Heid
Eckhard Klieme
Michael Neubrand
Manfred Prenzel
Ulrich Schiefele
Wolfgang Schneider
Klaus-Jürgen Tillmann
Manfred Weiß