How robust are cross-country comparisons of PISA scores to the scaling model used?

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important international study of 15‐olds' knowledge and skills. New results are released every 3 years, and have a substantial impact upon education policy. Yet, despite its influence, the methodology underpinning PISA has received...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Jerrim, John, Parker, Philip, Choi Mendizábal, Álvaro B. (Álvaro Borja), Chmielewski, Anna Katyn, Sälzer, Christine, Shure, Nikki
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2018
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/130879
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/130879
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Rendiment acadèmic
Avaluació educativa
Mètode comparatiu
Academic achievement
Educational evaluation
Comparative method
Description
Summary:The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an important international study of 15‐olds' knowledge and skills. New results are released every 3 years, and have a substantial impact upon education policy. Yet, despite its influence, the methodology underpinning PISA has received significant criticism. Much of this criticism has focused upon the psychometric scaling model used to create the proficiency scores. The aim of this article is to therefore investigate the robustness of cross‐country comparisons of PISA scores to subtle changes to the underlying scaling model used. This includes the specification of the item‐response model, whether the difficulty and discrimination of items are allowed to vary across countries (item‐by‐country interactions) and how test questions not reached by pupils are treated. Our key finding is that these technical choices make little substantive difference to the overall country‐level results.