Comparing Learning Outcomes: International Assessment And Education Policy

Comparing Learning Outcomes Comparing Learning Outcomes provides an insider’s look at the policy and practical issues in conducting and using the information from international assessments of education and is a key resource for researchers and policy makers in education. This book covers a variety of important topics related to international comparative assesssment, including: • • • • history of international assessment, the factors contributing to its growth and the impacts of such growth what it means to assess different domains how information from international assessments has been used by policy makers in different countries technical considerations in analysing and using assessment data. Reflecting the increasing involvement of policy makers in the field of international education assessment, Comparing Learning Outcomes brings together the research and experience of professionals in twelve countries who are part of a long-standing collaborative OECD project that gathers crossnational, comparative information on education for use by governments. Jay H. Moskowitz is Vice-President and Director of the Education and Human Development Program at the American Institutes for Research where Maria Stephens is Research Analyst. Comparing Learning Outcomes International assessments and education policy Edited by Jay H. Moskowitz Maria Stephens American Institutes for Research First published 2004 by RoutledgeFalmer 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by RoutledgeFalmer 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. "To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge's collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore. RoutledgeFalmer is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2004 Jay H. Moskowitz and Maria Stephens for editorial material and selection, individual chapters the contributors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloging in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Comparing learning outcomes : international assessment and education policy / [edited by] Jay H. Moskowitz and Maria Stephens. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-415-30419-9 (hard : alk. paper) 1. Educational evaluation–Cross-cultural studies. 2. Academic achievement–