SIPP Public Policy Papers 11

Abstract

The recent release by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) of the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (“PISA”) has served once more to focus the attention of Canadians on the thorny issue of standardised educational testing. We rightly felt a sense of pride in the accomplishments of the fifteen-yearold Canadians who, in the tests for literacy in reading, mathematics and science, ranked second in reading among the thirty-two countries tested and fifth in mathematics and science. Indeed, the fifteen-year-olds from Alberta actually topped the highest ranked country, Finland, in reading literacy, while those from British Columbia and Quebec were not far behind. In literacy in mathematics, the students from Quebec were second only to those of Japan, while those from Alberta and British Columbia followed closely. With the exception only of New Brunswick, which fell below the OECD average for scientific literacy, all of the Canadian provinces exceeded the 32-nation average in each of the literacy tests. The results for the Saskatchewan students tested were above the OECD averages, but trailed the Canadian average in each area tested. It is of interest to enquire what should be made of such results.