Topic: 

PISA Testing vs Successful Futures

PISA Testing vs Successful Futures. The dissertation is to look at the Welsh Governments focus on education within Wales in association with the Donaldson Report on Successful futures. But, there is so much conflicting information within the public domain and schools as to what is what. Should schools be run as businesses with all of the micro management from the Senior Leadership Team being passed down. Adding more and more pressure and work onto already busy teaching staff to access the additional funding. Or should teachers be teachers, SLT deal with the business side of things and get schools teaching again. Call in to question the Donaldson report where a minority sample of schools and teachers in Wales were approached (not all) .

Call into question PISA and how can a test be “standardized”. When all countries have different approaches to learning and teaching methods, times spent in school. Classes are mixed the majority of school years in Wales so by the time the pupils “settle in” they’ve wasted a term already. Times that by 11 years and they’ve pretty much lost nearly 4 years of education “settling in”. Classes in other countries have the same students in the class from nursery/reception and longer school days. These countries perform better in the PISA testing, in China, pupil’s are in school for 9-10 hours per day for learning as opposed to 5 1 hour periods in Wales. They have pretty much DOUBLE the education and no disruption of moving classes requiring “settling in time” so are much much higher, in fact, they are top of the PISA testing tables.

Further Description

The research will be exploring and reviewing will be looking at the Education system in Wales. The intention is to look at where Welsh education sits within the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing cycles and answer why?. Firstly why is there so much emphasis on PISA testing? . Secondly why has? or is? there such a huge focus on conformity to adhere to the PISA testing and standards set?. Thirdly why are we investing millions of public funds into an education system to appease or contribute to, what appears to be, a flawed system. How is it possible to construct a common test which can be used across the world. One can use it assess the results of students who have been taught differently. Also by teachers who have been educated differently at different education establishments, with varied levels of education?

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