Policy and practice implications of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 - Report of the International Reading Association PISA Task Force

Abstract

This report begins with a discussion of current conceptions of literacy and the extent to which PISA’s guiding notions are aligned with them. This is followed by a critique of certain measurement practices in the PISA initiative. Next, we summarize key findings from PISA and offer potential policy guidelines based on the findings. Offering policy recommendations that account for all 32 participating countries is fraught with danger, for all of the reasons we have just raised. Nonetheless, with caveats and cautions, we attempt to satisfy the charge given to the PISA Task Force by making necessarily global yet legitimate recommendations for consideration by the International Reading Association.