1. International Standard Classification on Education (ISCED):
Expert Group meeting on International economic and social classifications, UNSD
Rosario Garcia Calderon
4 September,2009

2. Presentation outline What is ISCED? What for?
Issues leading to the review
Review strategy (2007 – 2011)
Progress until now
UIS welcomes your comments on any of the above
Umbrella – covers all education stats
A bit of history: The first one was published in 1976.
The second and current one, published in November 1997, is a result of the work of the UNESCO Reference group (representatives of all geographic regions), the Task Force (made by reps of Ethiopia, Netherlands, France and reps of OECD and EUROSTAT) and the recommendations of the Meeting of the Group of Experts on the ISCED during the 45th Session of the International Conference on Education in Geneva in 1996.
= > these groups were representative of the whole world regions, strong influence of OECD + EUROSTAT educational systems, made of statisticians with experience in national and international data collection and reporting.
As the statistical body of UNESCO, the Institute for Statistics is the guardian of ISCED
The ISCED is an instrument (framework) that has been designed for the assembly, compilation and presentation of internationally comparable education statistics and indicators.
Integrates different aspects of education data: finance (e.g. expenditures per level), administrative (e.g. HR resources like teachers, and enrolments), access (e.g. new entrants vs. repeaters), attainment (graduations).
Since this may be a dry topic for many of you, let me first start by saying what we can use ISCED so that I can get you interested in the details.
What is ISCED used for? Why does ISCED exist? What is ISCED useful?
Educational programme consists of:
curriculum content
pre-determined objective
Usually by using proxy criteria
“…. defined on the basis of their educational content as an array or sequence of educational activities which are organized to accomplish a pre-determined objective or a specified set of educational tasks.
“Objectives can, for example, be preparation for more advanced study, qualification for an occupation or range of occupations, or simply an increase of knowledge and understanding. paragr 17
The structured learning activities normally lead to a completion point which sometimes is certified through an award or other form of recognition. parag 18.
The term ‘educational activity’ implies a broader meaning than the term ‘course or combination of courses’ which is important because education at a given level comprises not only courses organized into programmes but also free-standing courses and a variety of non-course activities as well. Programmes sometimes include major components not normally characterized as courses – for example, interludes of work experience in enterprises, research projects, and preparation of dissertations.” paragr 19
The UNIT OF CLASSIFICATION IS the EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
Main and Subsidiary criteria (proxy criteria):
Entrance age
Duration of the programme
Teaching staff qualifications
Entry requirements

3. Different countries, different education systems
Primary education
6 years
5 years
9 years
Basic education
4 years
Different shapes and forms
This slide is to lead the discussion into What is used for? – compare different national structures for comparable statistics
Primary
Lower
secondary

4. Explain:
2 countries
Numbers on the left of each diagramme = theoretical entry ages to each programme
Highlight:
Programme names and different duration for “primary”
Where is ISCED secondary? Not easy to identify…follow onto next slide with ISCED levels

5. ISCED NOTE: This slide may be used for any need:
- explain how to make 2 different educational systems internationally comparable using ISCED
- Explain issues that are under review (e.g. Tech & Indust Voc Ed Training – doesn’t belong to Mineduc)
Explain:
Introduce ISCED levels in the middle
Explain briefly: 7 levels (pre-primary to Tertiary); letters A/B/C mean destination: academic or labour market or further vocational education (just very general, do not speak of details).
Orientation: general/vocational in each level 2-3-4; In level 5 we distinguish more about academically oriented vs. occupationally oriented
ISCED relevant:
Kenya: programme name “first stage of primary education and second stage for primary education” may lead people to think that it all should be ISCED 1 – primary education but this is not right.
Upper secondary spans across 2 isced levels
If the slide is used to introduce ISCED review issues as well discuss this:
Why is Tech & Industrial voc ED in ISCED 4 in Kenya? Min entry req is ISCED 3, duration of 2 years…why not in 5B?
This is one of the issues the review is clarifying (difference btw ISCED 4 and 5B for two year-long programmes)
Why are 3 year-long teacher programmes in 5B in Kenya? They could be 5A too.
This is one of the issues the review is clarifying (what is “academic” and what is “occupationally” oriented: are teaching programmes more occupational than medical programmes? How? No clear answer so far.

6. Use of ISCED National Structure Utilisation of national data ISCED
Internationally comparable structure
Utilisation
of national data
International comparisons of data
Horizontal learning. From each neighbor, policies that work.
ISCED permits:
Better informed international comparison data on education
National and international policy formulation
Monitoring the international goals (EFA, MDG)
International standard setting
Comparative analysis
Why is ISCED useful?
It standardises statistics in order to yield data for regional & international comparisons
Facilitates sharing of information and achievements
Monitoring international goals and targets
International policy formulation, need assessment

7. ISCED
To introduce the notion of educational programme and the criteria across levels – in general. The detail is next after the summary slide
To summarize…next slide

8. What is ISCED? – a Summary
Framework created to facilitate comparisons of education indicators across countries
Instrument for assembling, compiling and presenting statistics of education nationally and internationally
Unit of analysis is the educational programme
Has 7 levels (preprimary to tertiary education)
Classification criteria per level and complementary dimensions
Fields of education (9 broad fields; 25 detailed – two-digit level) U

9. How is ISCED constructed?
The 9 broad fields of study are:
0 = General Programmes
1 = Education
2 = Humanities and Arts
3 = Social sciences, business and law
4 = Science
5 = Engineering, manufacturing and construction
6 = Agriculture
7 = Health and welfare
8 = Services
We only use them in QC - so far, only applicable to tertiary level but could be used at all levels (2011 review)

10. What do we classify in ISCED?
Educational programme consists of:
curriculum content
pre-determined objective
Usually by using proxy criteria
“…. defined on the basis of their educational content as an array or sequence of educational activities which are organized to accomplish a pre-determined objective or a specified set of educational tasks.
“Objectives can, for example, be preparation for more advanced study, qualification for an occupation or range of occupations, or simply an increase of knowledge and understanding. paragr 17
The structured learning activities normally lead to a completion point which sometimes is certified through an award or other form of recognition. parag 18.
The term ‘educational activity’ implies a broader meaning than the term ‘course or combination of courses’ which is important because education at a given level comprises not only courses organized into programmes but also free-standing courses and a variety of non-course activities as well. Programmes sometimes include major components not normally characterized as courses – for example, interludes of work experience in enterprises, research projects, and preparation of dissertations.” paragr 19
The UNIT OF CLASSIFICATION IS the EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME

11. Classifying an educational programme
Main and Subsidiary criteria (proxy criteria):
Entrance age
Duration of the programme
Teaching staff qualifications
Entry requirements
Entrance age example (main)– ISCED 1 - beginning of compulsory education, could be at 6 years old (or in some cases 5 in Eastern Europe - or 7 y.o. in Anglophone African countries )
Duration (main) : ISCED 5A minimum of 3 years-long; ISCED 5B minimum of 2 years-long (1 year-long certificattes after ISCED 3, are in ISCED 4)
Teaching staff qualifications (subsidiary): for ISCED 0, where applicable, to distinguish from child care programmes
Go next slide to talk about entry requiremts (it is better visually):
Entry requirements (main): this is one of the most important criteria across levels, examples:
-ISCED 3 graduation for an ISCED 5A/5B programme.
- ISCED 1 graduation for an ISCED 2 programme
Very useful to distinguish adult ed programmes (are they in ISCED 5, 4,3?). Answer: it all depends on the entry requirement of the programme, not on the profile of the student.
Example: a person studying a post-graduate certificate in accounting, 1 year.
The tendency is to put it in ISCED 5 because “the person has already ISCED 3 graduation”
The correct approach here is “ What is the minimum entry requirement for the certificate?” Answer: secondary school graduation (ISCED 3). So, the certificate could be ISCED 4 or 5. BUT it doesn’t meet the minimum duration for any ISCED 5 programme, so it is ISCED 4.

12. ISCED Use slide to explain this criteria:
Entry requirements (main): this is one of the most important criteria across levels, examples:
-ISCED 3 graduation for an ISCED 5A/5B programme.
- ISCED 1 graduation for an ISCED 2 programme
Very useful to distinguish adult ed programmes (are they in ISCED 5, 4,3?). Answer: it all depends on the entry requirement of the programme, not on the profile of the student.
Example: a person studying a post-graduate certificate in accounting, 1 year.
The tendency is to put it in ISCED 5 because “the person has already ISCED 3 graduation”
The correct approach here is “ What is the minimum entry requirement for the certificate?” Answer: secondary school graduation (ISCED 3). So, the certificate could be ISCED 4 or 5. BUT it doesn’t meet the minimum duration for any ISCED 5 programme, so it is ISCED 4.

13. How to define the level of a programme (table 1 of ISCED document)
Summary of all criteria reviewed briefly.

14. How to define the level of a programme (table 1 of ISCED document)
Summary of all criteria reviewed briefly.
Emphasize on the Complementary dimensions present at ISCED 2-5

15. Structure of ISCED The 7 LEVELS of education are:
ISCED 0 = Pre-primary
ISCED 1 = Primary
ISCED 2 = Lower secondary
ISCED 3 = Upper secondary
ISCED 4 = Post-secondary non-tertiary
ISCED 5 = First stage of tertiary education
(not leading directly to an advanced research qualification)
ISCED 6 = Second stage of tertiary education
(leading to an advanced research qualification)
NOTE: The following slides are used to see the theory behind the examples – may skip them if the presenter thinks is appropriate
Remarks:
The concept of levels is related to the degree of complexity of the content of an educational programme.
NEW introduction for ISCED97!! Careful not to assume that General = A etc… source of error in data
The most common error is that A=General; etc… but the reason that these are called cross-classification variables is exactly that we are able to cross-classify them. Of course this is generally not the case, but the fact remains that IT IS POSSIBLE.
Explain here and give examples from Belgium, Germany and Peru where programmes are 3A= Vocational or 4C = general [NEEDS MORE WORK]
Next slides:
Examples
Elicit information from the audience
Will make a list of the main questions to ask as a guide to map someone’s education
Will also create slides showing differences in indicators results using national system criteria vs. ISCED
Examples: Dom Republic (who declares 8 years in table 5 but we cut it to 6 and 2)
Summary

16. Structure of ISCED General, Tech/Voc A B C Orientation
The 7 LEVELS of education are:
ISCED 0 = Pre-primary
ISCED 1 = Primary
ISCED 2 = Lower secondary
ISCED 3 = Upper secondary
ISCED 4 = Post-secondary non-tertiary
ISCED 5 = First stage of tertiary education
(not leading directly to an advanced research qualification)
ISCED 6 = Second stage of tertiary education
(leading to an advanced research qualification)
Orientation
General,
Tech/Voc
Destination A B C
Remarks:
The concept of levels is related to the degree of complexity of the content of an educational programme.
NEW introduction for ISCED97!! Careful not to assume that General = A etc… source of error in data
The most common error is that A=General; etc… but the reason that these are called cross-classification variables is exactly that we are able to cross-classify them. Of course this is generally not the case, but the fact remains that IT IS POSSIBLE.
Explain here and give examples from Belgium, Germany and Peru where programmes are 3A= Vocational or 4C = general [NEEDS MORE WORK]
Next slides:
Examples
Elicit information from the audience
Will make a list of the main questions to ask as a guide to map someone’s education
Will also create slides showing differences in indicators results using national system criteria vs. ISCED
Examples: Dom Republic (who declares 8 years in table 5 but we cut it to 6 and 2)
Summary

17. Transition Pattern – in theory
Highlight the “universal path” mentioned before from pre-primary to tertiary. Highlight the path A. Students normally go through this path in an average of 21 years at school.
The concept of levels is related to the degree of complexity of the content of an educational programme.
The levels are applied within the overall taxonomic framework of the classification that considers the systema s a whole. Therefore the levels are applied with an assumption that there are intended pathways leading between programmes, and that they work in a particular order, and that students can only proceed when the previous programme has been successfully completed.
So these categories represent broad steps of educational progression from elementary to complex: more complex = higher level.
2 remarks:
The fileds of Education taxonomy applies to levels 2, 3, 4, 5,6
Basic Education is not defined in ISCED as such (will be for the 2011 review). As we can see it is split between levels 1 and 2 (normally 9 years long).
1st Q
2nd Q
1st D
2nd D R

18. Transition Pattern – in reality
1st D
2nd D R HT
Highlight the “universal path” mentioned before from pre-primary to tertiary. Highlight the path A. Students normally go through this path in an average of 21 years at school.
plausible
The concept of levels is related to the degree of complexity of the content of an educational programme.
The levels are applied within the overall taxonomic framework of the classification that considers the systema s a whole. Therefore the levels are applied with an assumption that there are intended pathways leading between programmes, and that they work in a particular order, and that students can only proceed when the previous programme has been successfully completed.
So these categories represent broad steps of educational progression from elementary to complex: more complex = higher level.
2 remarks:
The fileds of Education taxonomy applies to levels 2, 3, 4, 5,6
Basic Education is not defined in ISCED as such. As we can see it is split between levels 1 and 2 (normally 9 years long).
1st Q
2nd Q

19. ISCED
Leave or delete –
Use to review ISCED criteria by level (if it is for training) OR
Use to highlight classification issues leading into the ISCED review…

20. Key features of ISCED 0
Designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment
It is school- or centre-based
Programmes are designed for children aged 3 and over
It ends at the normal age for entry at primary
Staff may have teaching qualifications
Slide hidden from presentation

21. ISCED 0 Boundary between education and child care
UIS collects data on the Education part of Early Childhood Care and Education
School- or Centre-based
Not households or family settings
Age range
Typically 3-6 years old
Cannot be ISCED 0 if serving children aged two years or less
Slide hidden from presentation
Look at the educational properties of the programme
If difficult, use proxies – will be defined with the 2011 review

22. Key features of ISCED 1
Normally designed on a unit or project basis to give students a sound basic education in reading, writing and maths
Main critieria: marks the start of systematic studies in reading, writing and maths
Begins usually between ages 5 and 7
Lasts typically 6 years BUT where basic education exists and it is in two parts, the first part is ISCED 1
Begins often at the start of compulsory education
Slide hidden from presentation
Compulsory education notion will be revised in the ISCED 2011 review as many countries have started compulsory ed earlier (ISCED 0).

23. Key features of ISCED 2
Designed to complete the provision of basic education … and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning.
Usually more subject-oriented teaching
Taught by better qualified or specialised teachers
Begins after approx 6 years of ISCED 1
Ends after approx 9 years of education since the start of ISCED 1
End may coincide with the end of compulsory education
Slide hidden from presentation
Compulsory education notion will be revised in the ISCED 2011 review as many countries are making Upper Sec compulsory as well.

24. Key features of ISCED 2A, B and C
ISCED 2A = programmes on a direct pathway to ISCED 6 (ie education designed for typical children or young people)
ISCED 2B = programmes designed to lead to ISCED 3C (occur very rarely)
ISCED 2C = programmes designed to lead to the labour market (typically pre-vocational programmes designed for less able students to give some orientation towards the world of work)
Slide hidden from presentation

25. Key features of ISCED 3
Involves more specialisation than at ISCED 2 (both on the part of the student and of the teacher)
Entrance requirements are typically successful completion of ISCED 2
Usually begins approx 9 years after the start of ISCED 1
Typical entrance ages are 15 or 16
Slide hidden from presentation

26. Key features of ISCED 3A, B and C
ISCED 3A = programmes designed to lead to ISCED 5a programmes (often first university degree programmes)
ISCED 3B = programmes designed to lead to ISCED 5B programmes
ISCED 3C = all other upper secondary programmes. These programmes do not give direct access to ISCED 5.
Slide hidden from presentation

27. Key features of ISCED 4
Programmes that straddle the boundary between upper-secondary and post-secondary education
Curricula are often not significantly more advanced than programmes at ISCED 3
Students are typically older than ISCED 3 students
Duration is typically 6 months to 2 years
Entrance requirements are usually completion of ISCED 3
Typical programmes are: preparation for university entrance; second programmes; short vocational programmes
Slide hidden from presentation

28. Key features of ISCED 4A and B
ISCED 4A = programmes designed to lead to ISCED 5 (either 5A or 5B)
ISCED 4B = programmes designed to lead to the labour market (typically more vocational programmes)
Slide hidden from presentation
If a WEI country is present, mention the existance of 4C as well (created by OECD and EU). Will be consolidated for the ISCED 2011 review.

29. Key features of ISCED 5
Programmes are clearly more advanced than ISCED 3 programmes
Entry requirements are successful completion of ISCED 3A or 3B or 4A programmes (but NOT ISCED 3C)
Duration is at least 2 years for first programmes at this level
Covers all tertiary education except the most advanced research degrees (such as Doctorates, PhDs etc)
Slide hidden from presentation

30. Distinction of 5A and 5B Programmes are designed to lead to Focus more
ISCED 6. Then it is a ISCED 5A programme.
Labour market. Then it is a ISCED 5B prog.
Focus more
on occupationally-specific skills  5B
Largely theoretically based  5A
Duration of programme
5B typically shorter duration than 5A
Slide hidden from presentation
5B: Focus more on occupationally-specific skills and less theoretical content

31. Key features of ISCED 5A
Programmes which are on a direct pathway to ISCED 6
Largely theoretically based
First programmes have a minimum duration of 3 years
First programmes are typically first university degress (regardless of subject matter)
Slide hidden from presentation

32. Key features of ISCED 5A
Second programmes are any programmes (regardless of subject or duration – except VERY short) which
require succesful completion of an ISCED 5A first programme
are not at the advanced research degree level
Slide hidden from presentation

33. Key features of ISCED 5B
Programmes content is clearly more advanced than ISCED 3 programmes
But are not on a direct pathway to ISCED 6
Duration is typically shorter than ISCED 5A
Focus more on occupationally-specific skills and less theoretical content
Designed to lead to the labour market
Slide hidden from presentation

34. Key features of ISCED 6
Programmes which lead to the award of an advanced research degree or qualification
Requires the submission of a thesis or dissertation of PUBLISHABLE quality which is the product of ORIGINAL RESEARCH and represents a SIGNIFICANT contribution to knowledge
Prepares graduates for faculty posts in institutions offering ISCED 5A programmes
Slide hidden from presentation

35. Classification issues
Results from a classification exercise in April during a UIS training for regional staff:
We found it very difficult to distinguish between the academic and the professional streams in the national higher education programmes (ISCED 5A and 5B categories – tertiary education)
How to apply destination categories (A, B,C) in the same level; cross-over with orientation unclear as they seem to be the “same”
Main problem related to ISCED 4 or 5B (programmes of duration: 2 years; minimum entrance requirement is an ISCED 3 programme)
Remarks: The issues identified since 2007 are recurring classification issues – an exercise we did in 2009 during a training session showed the same problems.
How to solve them? The review…next slides.

36. ISCED review 2007 UNESCO GC approved a review for 2011
To reflect changes in the education systems since the last revision in 1997
Address issues identified through:
UIS regional meetings
Joint work with OECD and Eurostat
Conceptual and Implemenation Issues
Rationale:
After 10 years in use, the need to take a closer look at the ISCED has again become a priority. National authorities feel that ISCED should be updated to reflect major changes in the educational systems and address difficulties related to its implementation, with special attention to higher education.
Implementation issues
Better guidelines
Conceptual issues
Better structure and clarify definitions

37. ISCED review: implementation issues
Common problems faced by countries
in mapping their system into international
standard.
Some examples:
Classifying institutions instead of programmes
Classifying based on the name of the programmes, not the content
Among the most common implementation problems faced by countries in mapping their system to the international standard are:
A tendency to classify institutions instead of the programmes provided (e.g. Vocational Training Centers provide ISCED 4 and ISCED 5B programmes)
Assigning programmes to an ISCED level based on the name similarity between national education programmes and ISCED levels (e.g. “Post-secondary education programmmes” may actually include programmes offered at Junior Colleges, Institutes of Technical Education, Polytechnics, Institutes of Vocational Education, Teacher colleges).
While the ISCED 4 category bears the label “post-secondary non tertiary education”, this does not mean that all programmes in these institutions should be classified in ISCED 4.
Early childhood programmes may be combined, and include those that do not meet the criteria for the ISCED 0 level (pre-primary education).

38. ISCED review: conceptual issues
Range of conceptual issues, further
clarification of existing definitions
Some examples:
Differentiating ISCED 4 and 5B programmes
Current definition of ISCED 4 is vague
Changes in structure of education systems, for example:
Restructuring of early childhood education programmes or Higher education
There are also a range of conceptual issues that need to be addressed, including further clarification of existing definitions. Some conceptual problems may need a more extensive review and additional research.
Among the issues that require a more in-depth evaluation are:
the classification of vocational or technical education programmes of two years (or more) in duration that can be entered upon graduation from upper secondary education is a good example of the need to further clarify the current classification criteria for ISCED levels 4 (Post-secondary non-tertiary education) and 5B (First stage of tertiary education which does not lead to an advanced research qualification and which may be specific to a profession). Further work is needed to better differentiate between these two levels so that countries can assign them accurately to either level and in a consistent way across countries.
the current definition of ISCED 4 is vague and employs terms such as ‘straddling the boundaries” and ‘not significantly more advanced’ to define programmes classified at this level. The lack of clarity in its definition has led to the inclusion of many types of programmes at this level including: vocational programmes or institutions considered as post-secondary in the country in question, pre-university programmes that are followed by very few students graduating from secondary schools to have access to tertiary education, programmes for adults who wish to return to university and programmes delivered in institutions perceived as ‘separate’ from the regular education system.
changes in the structure of the educational systems, such as the extension of basic education to ISCED 0 (pre-primary) or ISCED 3 (upper secondary).
the restructuring of early childhood educational programmes that challenges the current view of what constitutes ‘education’ at the ISCED 0 level.
changes in higher education in Europe may not be reflected accurately in the current tertiary levels (ISCED 5 and 6).
Untangling implementation problems from conceptual issues is a necessary yet challenging task as is illustrated by the changes in the higher education in Europe. Ongoing discussions on this issue have focused on deciding whether to resolve these issues through better implementation of the current ISCED criteria (ISCED 5A and 5B), through a new structure of ISCED or through changes in the data collection instruments.

39. ISCED Review strategy: 4 main activities
Determine the scope of the review
Technical Advisory Panel (TAP)
Conduct regional and expert consultations for the production of draft recommendations
Formal consultation with Member States and adopt recommendations at General Conference in 2011
Communicate results
The TAP:
The panel of international experts will provide guidance on the review strategy, take part in regional consultations, assist in targeting research, as well as to assist in the preparation of the recommendations that will be presented in the 2011 UNESCO General Conference. The panel will reflect a diverse range of expertise, e.g., geographical representation, familiarity with ISCED and its use, experience with education statistics, knowledge of curriculum content across countries.
TAP meetings in Mtl January 2009 and Paris July 2009

40. Outputs and timelines
2008
A document summarizing all issues was produced
2009
TAP meeting in Montreal and Paris
Interim progress report to be presented at the UNESCO GC
Regional technical meetings on ISCED
Compile draft recommendations

41. Outputs and timelines
2010
Formal world-wide consultation among Member States and partner organizations
Production of final recommendations
Validation of the final recommendations by ISCED Technical Advisory Panel
2011
Submit for approval to UNESCO General Conference
Communication of recommendations to Member States

42. Where are we thus far?
Proposals to solve the issues are under discussion and regional meetings will be under-way soon but before we go into details…
Coffee break

43. ISCED Review: progress thus far (1)
Technical Advisory Panel has met twice: January and July 2009
January results:
endorsed review strategy – focus on solving conceptual issues
Identified core areas of work
July results:
Discussion of proposals on core areas
Prioritization of topics for 2011
January meeting:
Identified core areas of work: redefinition of ISCED 5-6: review of ISCED 4 definition and criteria; Implications of tertiary education review on ISCED 2-3; ISCED 0 and ECCE programmes; TVET coverage; educational attainment and ISCED; classification of Non-formal education programmes
July meeting:
Prioritization of topics for 2011: redefinition of ISCED 4-5-6; ISCED 2-3 structure; ISCED 0 and ECCE; measurement of educational attainment; reviewing the definition of TVET and NFE within ISCED

44. ISCED Review: progress thus far (2)
Regional ISCED meetings
Asia: October – Bangkok
Europe – OECD: October – Berlin
Africa: November – Nairobi
Arab States: February 2010
LAC: February- March 2010
Objectives
Integrate regional views on proposals
Identify emerging classification issues, if any
Participants profile
Experts on core areas and familiarity with ISCED
NOTE: The order of this slide can be switched depending on the audience; the UNSD meeting it was important to highlight locations and then end with profile to see if there area any people interested.
Objectives
Integrate regional views on proposals prepared by the TAP
Identify emerging classification issues, if any
Participants profile
Experts on core areas (higher education; ECCE; educational attainment; familiarity with ISCED

45. ISCED Review: proposals main points (1)
ISCED 0 and ECCE
Operationalize the ‘educational properties’ of a programme
Redefinition of ISCED 4-5-6
Delineate borders clearly
Distinguish between BA and MA
Key criteria: programme duration and position in the national structure
Label: Post-secondary or tertiary education?
How to include the notion of “vocational” in “tertiary” education
Remarks:
Highlight that now ISCED are all together as they are considered to be part of post-secondary education.
ISSUES for discussion at the higher education levels (4-5-6):
Distinction between academic and vocational programmes in higher education
Short and long durations
Regional diversity and international comparability
Solutions proposed by international and regional experts to face these new challenges: blocks proposal (ISCED 2011)

46. ISCED Review: proposals main points (2)
Structure depends on results of higher levels (“new” ISCED 4, 5, 6)
Orientation and destination dimensions will be simplified
Educational Attainment
Review of the definition
Better comparability internationally
TVET and NFE
Review definitions for 2011
Further work planned for after 2011 (better coverage of TVET and classification of NFE)

47. UIS welcomes your comments
ISCED current structure (pre-primary to tertiary education – 7 levels)
Review classification issues
Overlapping criteria
Better programme distinction at higher levels
Operationalization of current criteria (e.g. educational properties in ISCED 0)
ISCED review activities
The TAP:
The panel of international experts will provide guidance on the review strategy, take part in regional consultations, assist in targeting research, as well as to assist in the preparation of the recommendations that will be presented in the 2011 UNESCO General Conference. The panel will reflect a diverse range of expertise, e.g., geographical representation, familiarity with ISCED and its use, experience with education statistics, knowledge of curriculum content across countries.
TAP meetings in Mtl January 2009 and Paris July 2009

48. HT
Users ask us demand - transparency
Mappings are published on the web for all regions – as of Sept 2009 – 50 mappings published, 40 more in progress.
Foundation of everything (pillars of house)
Response for combined surveys = 60%
Completed on a one-time basis and updated only if necessary (i.e. changes in the education system).
Comprehensive collection of information about national education programs
Input for producing ISCED mappings for all countries

49. Useful Links UIS website: www.uis.unesco.org – education - ISCED
ISCED Mappings:
Contact:
The TAP:
The panel of international experts will provide guidance on the review strategy, take part in regional consultations, assist in targeting research, as well as to assist in the preparation of the recommendations that will be presented in the 2011 UNESCO General Conference. The panel will reflect a diverse range of expertise, e.g., geographical representation, familiarity with ISCED and its use, experience with education statistics, knowledge of curriculum content across countries.
TAP meetings in Mtl January 2009 and Paris July 2009

50. Thank you! 50