Americans often see negative media reports on the latest round of international educational testing, with results showing our students lagging behind those of other nations. Results from these international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in academia and among policy makers. The reported findings often raise questions about whether U.S. students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries. 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, in 2015 the National Academy of Education assembled a Steering Committee to examine the future of ILSAs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The committee held two workshops and will be producing a summary report, to be released in 2017.

The first workshop, held on June 17, 2016, focused on the somewhat more technical methodological issues related to the design, analysis, and reporting of ILSAs. Please see agenda and commissioned paper. The second workshop, held on September 16, 2016, moved into the less technical aspects of reporting, as well as interpretation, and policy uses of ILSAs. Click here for the September workshop agenda. You can also find a video of the second workshop below.

The committee commissioned several background papers and will be producing a workshop summary report. All of these reports will be posted on the NAEd website at the end of the project in 2017.

Americans often see negative media reports on the latest round of international educational testing, with results showing our students lagging behind those of other nations. Results from these international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in academia and among policy makers. The reported findings often raise questions about whether U.S. students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries. 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, in 2015 the National Academy of Education assembled a Steering Committee to examine the future of ILSAs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The committee held two workshops and will be producing a summary report, to be released in 2017.

The first workshop, held on June 17, 2016, focused on the somewhat more technical methodological issues related to the design, analysis, and reporting of ILSAs. Please see agenda and commissioned paper. The second workshop, held on September 16, 2016, moved into the less technical aspects of reporting, as well as interpretation, and policy uses of ILSAs. Click here for the September workshop agenda. You can also find a video of the second workshop below.

The committee commissioned several background papers and will be producing a workshop summary report. All of these reports will be posted on the NAEd website at the end of the project in 2017.

Americans often see negative media reports on the latest round of international educational testing, with results showing our students lagging behind those of other nations. Results from these international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in academia and among policy makers. The reported findings often raise questions about whether U.S. students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries. 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, in 2015 the National Academy of Education assembled a Steering Committee to examine the future of ILSAs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The committee held two workshops and will be producing a summary report, to be released in 2017.

The first workshop, held on June 17, 2016, focused on the somewhat more technical methodological issues related to the design, analysis, and reporting of ILSAs. Please see agenda and commissioned paper. The second workshop, held on September 16, 2016, moved into the less technical aspects of reporting, as well as interpretation, and policy uses of ILSAs. Click here for the September workshop agenda. You can also find a video of the second workshop below.

The committee commissioned several background papers and will be producing a workshop summary report. All of these reports will be posted on the NAEd website at the end of the project in 2017.

Americans often see negative media reports on the latest round of international educational testing, with results showing our students lagging behind those of other nations. Results from these international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in academia and among policy makers. The reported findings often raise questions about whether U.S. students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries. 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, in 2015 the National Academy of Education assembled a Steering Committee to examine the future of ILSAs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The committee held two workshops and will be producing a summary report, to be released in 2017.

The first workshop, held on June 17, 2016, focused on the somewhat more technical methodological issues related to the design, analysis, and reporting of ILSAs. Please see agenda and commissioned paper. The second workshop, held on September 16, 2016, moved into the less technical aspects of reporting, as well as interpretation, and policy uses of ILSAs. Click here for the September workshop agenda. You can also find a video of the second workshop below.

The committee commissioned several background papers and will be producing a workshop summary report. All of these reports will be posted on the NAEd website at the end of the project in 2017.

Americans often see negative media reports on the latest round of international educational testing, with results showing our students lagging behind those of other nations. Results from these international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) garner considerable attention in academia and among policy makers. The reported findings often raise questions about whether U.S. students are prepared to compete with their counterparts in other countries. 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, in 2015 the National Academy of Education assembled a Steering Committee to examine the future of ILSAs from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The committee held two workshops and will be producing a summary report, to be released in 2017.

The first workshop, held on June 17, 2016, focused on the somewhat more technical methodological issues related to the design, analysis, and reporting of ILSAs. Please see agenda and commissioned paper. The second workshop, held on September 16, 2016, moved into the less technical aspects of reporting, as well as interpretation, and policy uses of ILSAs. Click here for the September workshop agenda. You can also find a video of the second workshop below.

The committee commissioned several background papers and will be producing a workshop summary report. All of these reports will be posted on the NAEd website at the end of the project in 2017.