Predicting student performance in international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) is crucial for understanding educational outcomes on a global scale. ILSAs, such as the Program for International Student Assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, serve as vital tools for policymakers, educators, and researchers to…

Achievement tests are commonly used in education to evaluate students' academic performance and proficiency in specific subject areas. However, there is a major problem that threatens the validity of achievement test scores which is test-taking disengagement. Respondents provide answers that are inconsistent with their true ability level and can…

We relate students' math scores in the OECD-PISA test to school characteristics. The average math score for Italian students has been increasing in 2009. The determinants of this growth are analyzed by the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, that is particularly useful in comparing groups. The progress in educational attainments shows a different…

This paper examines and builds on an earlier contribution to this journal focusing on private supplementary tutoring -- widely known as shadow education -- in Francophone West and Central Africa. Drawing on wider literature about research methods in this domain, it examines the basis for the numerical estimates presented in the original article…

When analyzing large-scale assessments (LSAs) that use complex sampling designs, it is important to account for probability sampling using weights. However, the use of these weights in multilevel models has been widely debated, particularly regarding their application at different levels of the model. Yet, no consensus has been reached on the best…

The role of epistemic beliefs in science (EBS) and socio-economic status (SES) on mathematics and science test results on both student- and school-level data was investigated via a secondary analysis of Estonian Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 survey data. The effective sample comprised 3991 students (52% girls, 48%…

There is much public concern over the poor math performances of U.S. students compared to other developed countries. In this paper, we consider the role of instruction style in student performance on the math literacy portion of the OECD's PISA exam, specifically looking at the increasingly-popular student-oriented style of classroom instruction…

To help alleviate the alarming performance of students in Mathematics, teachers are encouraged to devise different strategies to address the challenges of students in dealing with mathematics. This may include crafting learning materials such as Self-Directing Learning material. This kind of learning material is crucial in developing students'…

This paper reviews overall student performance as well as the performance of student subgroups on the assessment system developed in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 (MERA), the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Comparing students in Massachusetts to students in the rest of the United States or against…

Poor mathematics performance was generally reported from international assessments such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) among Malaysian students. Malaysia is ranked 52nd and 48th in the assessments for 2012 and 2018 respectively, while Singapore, Japan,…

International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) have had significant impact on education policy across the globe. But has interest in ILSAs now started to wane? This paper presents new evidence on this issue, exploring how the amount of attention three major ILSAs receive compares across countries, between studies and over time. Using information on…

The increasing presence of technologies at school has triggered a vivid debate on the way ICT influences students' learning process. Using PISA 2018 data for 15-year-old students and hierarchical linear models, we find an inverted U-shaped relationship between ICT use at school and students' performance in mathematics in 22 OECD countries. In all…

This study aims to develop an evaluation framework to assess the mathematical deductive reasoning competence (MDRC) of eighth-grade students in China based on Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The framework includes four dimensions of MDRC: cognitive level,…

It is crucial to examine the alignment of different exam results conducted by various organizations to improve the quality of assessment. The research used a document analysis method with recent, publicly available national and international reports addressing the research question. The following main question was examined through the document…

Research Question: This paper examines the overarching question of to what extent different analytic choices may influence the inference about country-specific cross-sectional and trend estimates in international large-scale assessments. We take data from the assessment of PISA mathematics proficiency from the four rounds from 2003 to 2012 as a…