Understanding PISA: An International Assessment of Student Skills and Knowledge

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment that measures the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science. It is conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) every three years, and it aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the abilities of students in these subjects.
PISA is considered one of the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessments, and it provides valuable insights into the performance of education systems and the skills and knowledge of students around the world. The results of PISA are widely reported and discussed by educators, policymakers, and the media, and they are used to inform educational policies and reforms.
PISA assesses students' cognitive skills in reading, mathematics, and science, as well as their ability to use these skills to solve real-life problems. The assessment is based on a sample of 500-600 schools per country, and it is designed to be representative of the education system in each participating country.
The first PISA assessment was conducted in 2000, and since then, the assessment has been repeated every three years. The most recent PISA results were released in December 2019, and they cover the performance of students in reading, mathematics, and science from 79 countries and economies.
Overall, PISA provides a valuable tool for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of education systems around the world, and it helps to identify areas where improvements can be made to ensure that all students have access to high-quality education.