HCPSS Using International Benchmark Data to Inform World Class Practices

October 23rd, 2014

Most HCPSS high schools are performing as well as, or better than, the world’s leading nations in educational performance, according to the results of the first OECD Test for Schools administered in Howard County. The results were presented at the Oct. 23 meeting of the Howard County Board of Education.

The test is sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is aligned to the well-known PISA (Programme for Student Assessment) test, which ranks nations in educational performance. The OECD Test for Schools allows individual schools to compare their performance against that of the PISA-ranked nations. Both tools measure how well randomly selected 15-year-old students perform in reading, mathematics, and science; in addition, both feature a student survey that reveals student insights about student engagement and school culture.

During the 2013-14 school year, a random sampling of students in each of the 12 HCPSS high schools participated in the OECD Test for Schools for the first time. HCPSS high schools were among 285 U.S. schools, from 119 districts across 27 states, taking part in the test. Composite results are provided for each school and district; results for individual students are not recorded.

Results in reading show that more than half of the HCPSS high schools outperformed all four of the PISA test’s top-ranked nations (Korea, Finland, Singapore, and Canada), and eleven HCPSS schools ranked above the United States mean. In math, seven HCPSS schools delivered performance that was near or above that of the top-ranked nations, and ten schools ranked above the U.S. average. In science, four HCPSS schools outperformed Finland, the highest ranking nation, seven outperformed all four of the top-ranked nations, and eleven scored well above the U.S. overall.

Learning engagement and school culture are closely associated with academic performance, and the test includes a survey to gauge students’ perceptions in these areas. HCPSS administrators are already making use of both the achievement metrics and survey data to refine strategies for enhancing the rigor of the instructional program and to increasing students’ engagement in learning. Both strategies are key priorities of Vision 2018, the HCPSS strategic plan.

“We all want our graduates to have a competitive edge, not just in the United States, but globally,” said Superintendent Renee A. Foose. “The OECD Test for Schools gives us meaningful feedback about how well we are preparing students to be globally competitive, as compared to their peers in Korea, Finland, and other world-leaders in education. It provides a real opportunity for us to measure our progress toward becoming world class.”

Details about the test administration and results are available at www.hcpss.org/academics/testing/oecd-assessment.