Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean • 2018
Chapter III
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Education quality can also be measured using the results of the reading, mathematics and science tests for 15-year-old students, conducted as part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (see figure III.12). According to Rivas and Scasso (2017), changes can be seen in education quality in the seven Latin American countries that participated regularly in the PISA tests between 2000 and 2015 (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay). The score scale was modified in that study to allow for comparison over time, revealing that in some countries there had been a significant improvement in all national and international evaluations during the period under consideration. For example, Peru shows a clear improvement from a very low starting point. Chile appears to have improved during the 2000s, but its test performances have stagnated in recent years. Brazil, Mexico and Argentina showed slight improvements at the primary level, but not at the secondary level. Colombia and Uruguay have remained stable since the measurements began (Rivas and Scasso, 2017). Figure III.12 Latin America (selected countries): average score on PISA tests (by subject matter), original and rescaled scores, 2000-2015a
A. Reading
B. Mathematics
430
430
422 420
425 419
420
416 410
413
410
410
400
400 399 390
398
396
380
370
370
360
360 2000
2003
2006
398
390
380
2009
2012
C. Sciences
400
400
396
386 376 368 2000
2015
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
D. Average for the three subjects 430
430 419
420
422
419
410
400 395
398
416
420
407
400
400
388
370
370
360 2006
2009
2012
2015
Rescaled scores
405
394
390 380
2003
415
410
408
380
2000
412
411
417
410
390
404 398
392
360 2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
Original scores
Source: A. Rivas and M. Scasso “¿Qué países mejoraron la calidad educativa?: América Latina en las evaluaciones de aprendizajes”, Documento de Trabajo, No. 161, Buenos Aires, Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC), 2017. a The rescaled scores are given to facilitate comparability following the methodological change adopted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009.