Arkansas students to take international assessment
PISA is given every three years to measure 15-year-old students' knowledge in reading, math and science literacy using questions that involve everyday situations, according to its website.
A provided sample question for the financial literacy exam displayed an invoice with students being asked to explain various parts of it.
The Organization for Economic Coordination and Development coordinates the assessment in 75 countries and educational jurisdictions with the U.S. Department of Education sponsoring U.S. participation.
The results will show how well students are prepared, what skills they lack and compare that data to other countries and educational jurisdictions.
"Focusing on age 15 provides an opportunity to measure broad learning outcomes while all students across the many participating nations are still required to be in school," according to PISA's website.
Because years of education vary among countries and education systems, choosing an age-based sample makes comparisons across countries and education systems somewhat easier.