Sharing Good Practice
WHAT SCHOOLS SHOULD DO TO
PREPARE FOR TIMSS AND PISA
By Rania Amaireh
I
n a booming country like the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), with the
national agenda pressures and the
targets set by its visionary leaders’,
education is a top priority. Aiming to
be among the top 20 ranking in The
Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) and 15th in Trends
in International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS) by 2021, is no
small ambition, and this has pushed
everyone involved in education to
improve or be left behind.
The latest PISA results show that
the UAE outperformed the other
participating Arab countries in the
three subjects, however, the overall
scores were not really uplifting. The
country moved up one level in Math
and dropped two levels in both science
and reading. The new ranking in Math,
Science, and Reading are 47, 46,
and 48 respectively. Although these
results may seem disappointing, it is
important to note that many countries
which historically performed well in
these tests experienced a decline
in their scores in 2015, nevertheless,
this decline still saw these countries
outperforming the UAE.
PISA, which is often described as the
test of destiny and the nightmare for
many low-performing schools, should
be treated differently. Schools must
change policies and provide a long-
term improvement plan that includes
all stakeholder to put everyone on the
right track. This assessment should be
introduced to all teachers, students,
and parents and should be aligned
to internal instruction. Simply put
pr eparation for PISA and fulfilling the
32 |
Sep - Oct 2017
|
|
requirements of the curriculum should
dovetail nicely together.
Informational PISA tests require fast
reading and comprehension, to answer
questions in a given timeframe and the
ability to scan these texts to answer the
right questions on time is a challenge
for our ESL learners. When analyzing
PISA samples, we can find questions
that target the higher level of Bloom's
taxonomy. Factual information is given
in a real life problem context so the
student can apply these facts to solve
the problem by suggesting the most
appropriate solutions. So “study more
to score more” is definitely not the
case here.
So what must schools do?
The good results cannot come
overnight. If we start the journey
today, then we are expecting another
three to five years to show a tangible
improvement.
Improving
PISA
scores requires a paradigm shift in
teaching and assessing. Assessment
is the keyword. Schools must stop the
traditional memory tests and provide a
major modification in the questioning
levels and styles. Train students to
use alternative assessment strategies,
such as, self-assessment and providing
Class Time
narrative feedback in addition to the
quantitative scores. These will give
students a clearer idea of where they
stand and where they want to go.
Schools must provide qualified trained
teaching staff that are committed and
can run with the vision, to provide
consistent learning habits. Moreover,
there is a need for more Student-
centered lessons, that address the
needs and interests of each student.
Developing and assessing students’
cognitive and non-cognitive skills
including problem-solving, analysis,
and creativity, are other major factors
that should be considered. Transfer
the learning responsibility to students
and support their metacognitive skills
and capacity to set their goals and
reflect constructively on their own
learning.
The system of providing last minute
test preparations for students, as
external tests approach, is not going
to work and has proven ineffective over
time. The key is to start early, focus
on the skills and not the test content,
and also ensure that students are fully
aware that the skills they are gaining,
are for more than just test preparation,
they are for life.
Rania Amaireh is a Head of Science Department with strong leadership and
communication skills. I offer strong educational background and more than 10
years of facilitating and guiding learning. have obtained my Master's degree
in Education (Leadership and Management) with distinction. I have personal
interests in Inquiry-based learning and discovery learning approaches. I have
studied deep curriculum development and aligning international standards with
curriculum, instruction, and assessment.