National Academy of Education Report on Methods and Policy Uses of International Large-Scale Assessments

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Results from international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention from academics and policy makers. Reported findings often raise questions about the extent to which students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries, particularly when it comes to participation in the global economy.

But do such comparisons conceal as much as they reveal? What do the results of international assessments really tell us about the strengths and weaknesses of our education system?
Although there is widespread recognition that ILSAs can provide useful information, there is debate about what types of comparisons are the most meaningful and what could be done to assure more sound interpretations. To address these issues, the National Academy of Education (NAEd) carried out a study funded by the US Department of Education to examine the ways in which ILSAs are designed as well as the ways that results are reported, interpreted, and used. Based on the proceedings of two workshops that fostered constructive dialogue among education researchers, policy makers, and assessment developers, a new NAEd report analyzes methods and policy uses of ILSAs as well as how these may be improved for the future.

The panelists listed below will address the following topics that are included in the NAEd ILSA report: assessment purposes, design and analysis, reporting and interpretation, policy uses, and suggestions for moving forward.

Sub Unit

• AERA Sessions

Chair

• Eva L. Baker, University of California - Los Angeles

Participants

• Henry I. Braun, Boston College

• Michael J. Feuer, The George Washington University

• Judith D. Singer, Harvard University

Discussants

• Peggy G. Carr, National Center for Education Statistics/IES, U.S. Department of Education

• William H. Schmidt, Michigan State University