1. Programme for International Student Assessment
PISA
Programme for International Student Assessment
European Union
Europe & Central Asia region

2. Overview
European Union members’ performance is high given its level of economic development
…but they could be doing better
While the EU has a stable performance over time and across all three subjects
… almost 50% of students from the poorest background do not reach a basic level of proficiency
Barely any student from poor socioeconomic background performs at high levels of proficiency
Three policies to foster further improvement: (1) Preschool access; (2) school climate; (3) teacher’s practices and student’s motivation.

3. The EU has a relatively efficient education system (even after accounting for ESCS)

4. EU countries are among the top performers (all subjects)
European Union
Rest of the World
Austria (AT)
Belgium (BE)
Bulgaria (BG)
Croatia (HR)
Cyprus (CY)*
Czech Republic (CZ)
Denmark (DK)
Estonia (EE)
Finland (FI)
France (FR)
Germany (DE)
Greece (GR)
Hungary (HU)
Ireland (IE)
Italy (IT)
Latvia (LV)
Lithuania (LT)
Luxembourg (LU)
Malta (MT)
Netherlands (NL)
Poland (PL)
Portugal (PT)
Romania (RO)
Slovak Republic (SK)
Slovenia (SI)
Spain (ES)
Sweden (SE)
United Kingdom (GB)**
Massachusettes (USA) (QUC)
Norway (NOR)
Switzerland (CHE)
Canada (CAN)
Korea (KOR)
China B-S-J-G (QCH)
Japan (JPN)
China Macao (MAC)
Chinese Taipei (TAP)
Hong Kong (HKG)
Singapore (SGP)
PISA 2015 Top 20 performers

5. Scores of all subjects in the EU have remained stable
PISA Math scores over time
PISA Math scores by ESCS quantiles

6. But the EU still has an important proportion of students below basic proficiency (across all subjects)

7. And inequalities remain—Gap between top and bottom socio-economic quintiles

8. Very few students from the lowest ESCS score on the highest level of proficiency

9. Inequalities across groups remain—Urban-rural and gender

10. Social stratification has remained constant—except for Poland
2000
2009
The social stratification/segregation index ranges from 0 to 1. A higher index indicates a higher correlation between student's and schools’ socioeconomic status. The Index is the correlation (R2) between the student's ESCS and the student’s ESCS at the school level.
2015

11. Correlation between PIAAC (stock) and PISA (flow)– Some countries are improving their education systems
Countries have stagnated
PIAAC Numeracy EU average
PIAAC Numeracy Average = 267; PISA Math 2015= 498
Countries are improving

12. Integration pays off—Education systems can do both higher integration and increasing scores
High integration +
High scores
Low integration +
Low scores

13. Students who attended preschool did better in PISA…
PISA 2015 does not have a standard variable across countries for preschool. There are two variables for preschool, making comparisons difficult—The number of years they attended preschool and the age they started attending preschool. Some countries answered the first question and some countries answered the second one. Since comparisons are difficult, for this graph, we showed the relationship between the preschool enrollment rates in 2003 (when students about 3 years old) and PISA 2015 scores.

14. Students learn better in schools with better school climate
The Disciplinary Climate Index measures the extent of classroom disruptions due to noise, disorder, and other factors.

15. Teachers and student motivation are important element for learning
Many students benefit from teacher-directed instruction (TDI)
Students with higher motivation learn more
The Achievement Motivation Index was constructed using students’ responses to questions that reflect their motivation towards studies and beyond i.e.: “I want top grades in most […] of my courses;' I want to be able to select from among the best opportunities available when I graduate; I see myself as an ambitious person.”
The Teacher-Directed Instruction (TDI) measures teaching practices related with traditional education and includes how often the teacher explains scientific ideas, demonstrates them, discusses student’s’ questions, and promotes classroom discussions.

16. Thank you.

17. EU countries have an important proportion of students above high proficiency in PISA

18. The EU average proportion of low performers has remained relatively constant over time with high differences between socioeconomic levels

19. PIAAC scores by income level reflects gap persistence over time for the 2000 PISA cohort