TO improve on the performance from its previous participation, the Philippines is busy preparing for the upcoming Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Held every three years across different countries, PISA analyzes the competencies of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science, and reading. Apart from demonstrating academic competency, test takers must overcome technical challenges related to computer-based exams such as performing simulations, data generation, and information analysis.
“When Filipino students took PISA in 2018, there were factors that negatively impacted their performance,” said Dr. Luz Bay, senior psychometrics director at College Board from the United States, and senior advisor of Frontlearners. “These include their lack of familiarity with the testing environment, and their lack of experience with technology-laden assessment questions.”
Helping improve the nation’s performance this year compared to what was accomplished in its first participation three years ago, which was way below the average of other participants, are public-private partnership or PPP initiatives set to identify and address various education challenges, including creating a world-class, technology-enabled learning environment for teachers and students.
In 2021 the Professional Development Program on Assessment and Emerging Literacies, with focus on PISA, was developed and implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), together with the Bureau of Education Assessment, the Bureau of Learning Delivery, assessment experts, and learning-service providers accredited by the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines as partners; specifically, the Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Center, the Center for Educational Measurement Inc., and Frontlearners Inc.
“We want to remove…technical barriers that students encounter when taking a computer-based exam, so that they can focus and spend more time on the academic and conceptual aspects of the assessment,” Frontlearners founder Leo de Velez said, as he cited that such experience assists teachers to effectively familiarize their students with technology-enabled testing environments. “To achieve [such], we provided teachers with simulation-training activities that allowed them to experience taking a computer-based exam like PISA, as if they were the students.”
“In addition, we gave…teachers simulation tools and resources for their students to use in order to gain experience in answering different types of interactive questions,” de Velez stated.
For its part, Frontlearners released thousands of curriculum-aligned interactive lessons and exercises focused on mathematics, science, and reading. Incorporated were tools for better visualization and comprehension of difficult concepts. Also included were application exercises for real-life situations to further develop the students’ higher-order thinking skills.
“These are skills that PISA encourages us to develop and measure in our students,” noted Frontlearners CEO Elaine de Velez. “PISA does not require memorization of facts; instead, it measures [the way] students are able to ‘connect the dots,’ make data-driven conclusions, and solve problems.”
“What Frontlearners has contributed to the collaboration efforts can reduce such negative impact on students’ performance on PISA,” Dr. Bay furthered. “As a collateral benefit, it can also pave a way for students to learn 21st-Century skills, which are important for the well-being of the country.”
The participation of the Philippines in the PISA 2022 from March 28 to May 20 is crucial in reviewing the impact of the initiatives enforced so far by DepEd and other stakeholders. Outcomes and recommendations that will come out from it will provide additional data points and valuable insights needed by the policymakers and educators in reengineering the country’s educational landscape to be globally competitive. The aim is to make Filipino students able and ready for higher education and the workplace.