What Can We Learn from International Assessments?

Abstract

The kinds of inferences that can be drawn from international educational assessment are explored, considering the evidence that can be obtained and how it can be interpreted. International assessments have been thought of as yielding information that allows comparisons of relative achievement by country and subject, or that allows the improvement in or, country from the determinants of achievement in another, or Emily as a way to provide information to policymakers on the status of achievement and practices in their own countries. Issues of population definition and of sampling plans make international comparisons very difficult. Ile comparability of assessment tasks is complicated by the difficulty in identifying a common frame of reference. It is argued that indicts of educational achievement that are to varying degrees comparable across nations can be useful, but that it must be recognized that ascertaining the relative standings of nations will tell very little about how to set educational policy or to improve instructional practice. Two tables and two figures illustrate the discussion. (Contains 48 references.) (SLD) *********************************************************************::* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document: * U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of FOucabonal RimeaR.F nd impeovement EDIJC TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERICI MS O0Coment haS been repro0oCed as r ec e ved from the person Or orgen.zafion orcpnaltnrj .1 '.-l'ArnOr changes mine been rnacie lb .rnorc.e retaroduct.on (wanly Points of vew or OPm.Ons slated nItoSdOro meet clo not neceSSanly represent ofbc.a. OE RI poso.on or dOly 0 -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 11) 6A fi ()A) TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERIC1 WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS?