Directorate-for-education-and-skills-brochure.pdf?utm_content=bufferf4a33&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Measuring education and skillsopportunities and outcomesIt is crucial that decisions abouteducation policy are made basedon the best evidence possible.The triennial Programme for International StudentAssessment (PISA) studies the extent to which15-year-old students nearing the end of compulsoryeducation have acquired the key knowledge and skillsthat are essential for full participation in modernsocieties. PISA tests students’ creative and criticalthinking skills and their capacity to apply what theyhave learned in reading, mathematics, science and 21stcentury,real-world skills. It also measures how equitablycountries offer education opportunities to their youngcitizens, and gathers information about students’ socialand emotional skills and students’ attitudes towardslearning. The assessment allows countries to comparetheir education policies and practices with those of thehighest-performing and rapidly improving systems inthe world and to learn from the comparisons.The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECDProgramme for the International Assessmentof Adult Competencies (PIAAC), can be seen asa kind of “PISA for adults”. The survey measuresadults’ proficiency in the key foundation skills –literacy, numeracy and the ability to solve problemsin technology-rich environments – that adults use inthe workplace, at home and in their communities.It also gathers information on the degree to which theseskills, as well as some “soft” skills, like communicatingand working with others, are actually used, and theirrelationship with social and economic outcomes.Analysis of data from the Survey of Adult Skillsgives participating countries a good indication ofthe strengths and weaknesses in their workforce – andwhere their education and training systems have roomfor improvement.Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators offersa snapshot of the state of education in more than40 countries. This annual compendium of statisticscovers the structure, finances and performance ofeducation systems, describes who participates inand benefits from education, and examines the schoolenvironment.7OECD EDUCATION & SKILLS