By stewartb

The PISA 2022 results are just one of a raft of measures that one can and should use to assess the quality and relevance of an eduction system and its associated curriculum.

We need a ‘balanced scorecard’ and we need balanced, objective consideration of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in system. We do not need insulting, partial, partisan and ill-informed comment on Scottish education from the Westminster government’s Education Secretary aided and abetted by a newspaper supposedly ‘serving’ Scotland.

Scotland on Sunday (SoS) gave Gillian Keegan space today to tell us – justified by the PISA 2022 scores – that we have ‘a failing Scottish system at the brink of collapse’. No balance here: no objective analysis. Even the OECD which runs the PISA system recognise the worth of Scotland’s education system.

‘In 2020, Scottish pupils were among the top performers in a new and different kind of Pisa test looking at “global competence”.

‘THEY WERE AMONG THE MOST LIKELY IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE PERSPECTIVE OF OTHERS, DEMONSTRATE POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS, AND SCORE HIGHLY ON A TEST THAT ASSESSES THE ABILITY TO EVALUATE INFORMATION AND ANALYSE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES.

‘Scotland was the only part of the UK to take part in this test. In 2018, THE OECD INDICATED THAT ENGLAND DECLINED TO TAKE PART PARTLY BECAUSE OF A FEAR IT WOULD SCORE POORLY.

See https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/secondary/scotland-pisa-scores-drop

The above results for Scotland received little or no media coverage in Scotland at the time! And from the TES Magazine, 22 January 2018: ‘ England shunning global skills test because pupils are ‘not ready for it’ – Pisa boss suggests failure to equip students with ‘global competence’ contributed to Brexit vote

‘England declined to take part in an international test looking at pupils’ understanding of world issues partly because of a fear it would score poorly, Andreas Schleicher has suggested.’

Following a request by the Scottish Government, the OECD undertook a review of Curriculum for Excellence. It reported in 2021: OECD (21 June, 2021) Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence – Into the Future.

Whilst critical of some aspects of implementation, the experts in the OECD study wrote:

‘Curriculum for Excellence in context – Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) offers an inspiring and widely supported philosophy of education. Its framework allows for effective curricular practices and for the possibility of a truly fulfilling education for learners. Building upon its commitment to education quality, Scotland can make adjustments within CfE’s flexible framework to achieve its potential for learners present and future.

‘Students in Scotland engage in learning through CfE, which aims to provide a holistic, coherent, and future-oriented approach to learning between 3 and 18 years and lets schools design their curriculum based on a common framework.’

Key findings included: ‘Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence continues to be a bold and widely supported initiative, and its design offers the flexibility needed to improve student learning further

‘Stakeholder engagement is at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence and offers the possibility, with better structure, for shared ownership and effective leadership of CfE

‘Continued efforts are needed to enhance the coherence of the policy environment with Curriculum for Excellence – CfE’s originality continues to influence international curriculum policy. Scotland made great progress in developing and supporting teachers’ capacity to be curriculum makers, and the capacity of school leaders to lead the curriculum process in their schools. This work has become challenging for schools considering the multiple new policy initiatives; and Scotland’s comparatively high rate of teachers’ class contact time and its expectations for teachers to lead and plan curriculum locally.’

There is much more: there is some negatives and indications of room for improvement. That is what expert critical reviews are commissioned to do – investigate, analyse, identify weaknesses and suggest improvements. The OECD report is very far from highlighting a system collapsing!