PISA 2018 Assessment and Analytical Framework

Abstract

This publication presents the theory underlying the PISA 2018 assessment -the seventh since the programme's inception.It includes frameworks for assessing the three core subjects of reading, mathematics and science (Chapters 2, 3 and 4, respectively), the framework for the third assessment of students' financial literacy (Chapter 5), and the framework for assessing the innovative domain, global competence (Chapter 6).These chapters outline the knowledge content that students need to acquire in each domain, the processes that students need to be able to perform, and the contexts in which this knowledge and these skills are applied.They also discuss how each domain is assessed.The publication concludes with the frameworks for the various questionnaires distributed to students, school principals, parents and teachers (Chapter 7), and the framework for the new well-being questionnaire distributed to students (Chapter 8). Box 1.1. Key features of PISA 2018The content PISA not only assesses whether students can reproduce knowledge, but also whether they can extrapolate from what they have learned and apply their knowledge in new situations.It emphasises the mastery of processes, the understanding of concepts, and the ability to function in various types of situations.The PISA 2018 survey focused on reading, with mathematics and science as minor domains of assessment.For the first time, global competence was assessed as an innovative domain.PISA 2018 also included an assessment of young people's financial literacy, which was optional for countries and economies. The studentsApproximately 710 000 students completed the PISA 2018 assessment, representing over 31 million 15-year-olds in the schools of the 79 participating countries and economies. The assessmentComputer-based tests were used, with assessments lasting a total of two hours for each student.Test items were a mixture of multiple-choice questions and questions requiring students to construct their own responses.The items were organised in groups based on a passage setting out a real-life situation.About 930 minutes of test items were used, with different students taking different combinations of test items.Students also answered a background questionnaire that took 35 minutes to complete.The questionnaire sought information about the students themselves, their homes, and their school and learning experiences.School principals completed a questionnaire that covered the school system and the learning environment.To obtain additional information, some countries/economies decided to distribute a questionnaire to teachers to learn about their training and professional development, their teaching practices and their job satisfaction.In some countries/economies, optional questionnaires were distributed to parents, who were asked to provide information on their perceptions of and involvement in their child's school, their support for learning in the home, and their own engagement with reading and with other cultures.CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS PISA? │ 13