Measuring Up?

This post is also available in: Spanish

We are pleased to share a recent PREAL publication entitled ¬Measuring Up? The document, co-authored by Alejandro Ganimian and Alexandra Solano, presents a brief analysis of how Latin American and Caribbean countries performed on the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)–an achievement test administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) every three years since 2000 that assesses what 15-year-olds know and can do in reading, math and science.

Among the findings, the document highlights that, despite the improved performance in recent years, all countries in the region still rank in the bottom third in all three subjects. Further, an alarming share of Latin American students fails to reach minimum acceptable levels of learning, and performance gaps between rich and poor students continue at worrisome levels. The analysis also reveals that Latin American and Caribbean countries fare worse than their income levels and investment in education would predict.

You may access the document on the Inter-American Dialogue website in Spanish and in English.