Excellence in Education Educating talented students

Excellence in EducationEducating talented students Beijing, 14 October 2010 Andreas SchleicherEducation Policy Advisor of the OECD Secretary-General

There is nowhere to hide The yardstick for success is no longer improvement by national standards but the best performing education systems

A world of change in the global talent poolApproximated by percentage of persons with high school or equivalent qualfications in the age groups 55-64, 45-55, 45-44 und 25-34 years % 1 13 1 27 1. Excluding ISCED 3C short programmes 2. Year of reference 2004 3. Including some ISCED 3C short programmes 3. Year of reference 2003.

A world of change – higher education Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD) Cost per student Graduate supply Tertiary-type A graduation rate

A world of change – higher education Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD) United States Cost per student Finland Graduate supply Tertiary-type A graduation rate

A world of change – higher education Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD) Australia Finland United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate

A world of change – higher education Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD) Tertiary-type A graduation rate

A world of change – higher education Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD) United States Australia United Kingdom Finland Tertiary-type A graduation rate

New skills for new jobs The quality and excellence challenge • Education needs to prepare students… … to deal with more rapid change than ever before… … for jobs that have not yet been created… … using technologies that have not yet been invented… … to solve problems that we don’t yet know will arise • It’s about new… • Ways of thinking • involving creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making • Ways of working • including communication and collaboration • Tools for working • including the capacity to recognise and exploit the potential of new technologies • The capacity to live in a multi-faceted world as active and responsible citizens.

How the demand for skills has changedEconomy-wide measures of routine and non-routine task input (US) Mean task input as percentiles of the 1960 task distribution The dilemma of schools: The skills that are easiest to teach and test are also the ones that are easiest to digitise, automate and outsource (Levy and Murnane)

OECD’s PISA assessment of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds Coverage of world economy 83% 77% 81% 85% 86% 87%

High science performance Average performanceof 15-year-olds in science – extrapolate and apply … 18 countries perform below this line Low science performance

High science performance Average performanceof 15-year-olds in science – extrapolate and apply High average performance Large socio-economic disparities High average performance High social equity Strong socio-economic impact on student performance Socially equitable distribution of learning opportunities Low average performance Large socio-economic disparities Low average performance High social equity Low science performance

High science performance Durchschnittliche Schülerleistungen im Bereich Mathematik High average performance Large socio-economic disparities High average performance High social equity Strong socio-economic impact on student performance Socially equitable distribution of learning opportunities Low average performance Large socio-economic disparities Low average performance High social equity Low science performance

PISA defines science performancein terms of a student’s: • For example • When reading about a health issue, can students separate scientific from non-scientific aspects of the text, apply knowledge and justify personal decisions ? • Scientific knowledge and use/extrapolation of that knowledge to… … identify scientific issues, … explain scientific phenomena, and … draw evidence-based conclusions about science-related issues • Understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry • Awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual and cultural environments • Willingness to engage with science-related issues

PISA defines science performancein terms of a student’s: • Scientific knowledge and use/extrapolation of that knowledge to… … identify scientific issues, … explain scientific phenomena, and … draw evidence-based conclusions about science-related issues • Understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry • Awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual and cultural environments • Willingness to engage with science-related issues • For example • Can students distinguish between evidence-based explanations and personal opinions ?

PISA defines science performancein terms of a student’s: • Scientific knowledge and use/extrapolation of that knowledge to… … identify scientific issues, … explain scientific phenomena, and … draw evidence-based conclusions about science-related issues • Understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry • Awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual and cultural environments • Willingness to engage with science-related issues • For example • Can individuals recognise and explain the role of technologies as they influence a nation’s economy ? • Or are they aware of environmental changes and the effects of those changes on economic/social stability ?

PISA defines science performancein terms of a student’s: • Scientific knowledge and use/extrapolation of that knowledge to… … identify scientific issues, … explain scientific phenomena, and … draw evidence-based conclusions about science-related issues • Understanding of the characteristic features of science as a form of human knowledge and enquiry • Awareness of how science and technology shape our material, intellectual and cultural environments • Willingness to engage with science-related issues • Interest in science, support for scientific enquiry, responsibility for the environment • This addresses the value students place on science, both in terms of topics and in terms of the scientific approach to understanding the world and solving problems

Interest science • Indicate curiosity in science and science-related issues and endeavours • Demonstrate willingness to acquire additional scientific knowledge and skills, using variety of resources and methods • Demonstrate willingness to seek information and have an interest in science, including consideration of science-related careers • Support for science • Acknowledge the importance of considering different scientific perspectives and arguments • Support the use of factual information and rational explanation • Logical and careful processes in drawing conclusions • Knowledge of science • Physical systems (structure of matter, properties of matter, chemical changes of matter, motions and forces, energy and its transformations, energy and matter) • Living systems (cells, humans, populations, ecosystems, biosphere) • Earth and space (structures of the earth system, energy in the earth system, change in the earth system, earth’s history, space) • Technology systems (Concepts and principles, science and technology) • Knowledge about science • Scientific enquiry (purpose, experiments, data, measurement, characteristics of results) • Scientific explanations (types, rules, outcomes) • Identifying • Recognising issues that can be investigated scientifically • Identifying keywords in a scientific investigation • Recognising the key features of a scientific investigation • Explaining • Applying knowledge of science in a situation • Describing or interpreting phenomena scientifically or predicting change • Using evidence • Interpreting scientific evidence and drawing conclusions • Identifying the assumptions, evidence and reasoning behind conclusions • Context • - Personal • Social/public • Global • Competencies • Identify scientific issues • Explain phenomena scientifically • Use scientific evidence • Knowledge • Knowledge of science • Knowledge about science • Attitudes • -Interest in science • -Support for scientific enquiry • -Responsibility

OECD Level 2 OECD Level 6 • Identifying • Recognising issues that can be investigated scientifically • Identifying keywords in a scientific investigation • Recognising the key features of a scientific investigation • Explaining • Applying knowledge of science in a situation • Describing or interpreting phenomena scientifically or predicting change • Using evidence • Interpreting scientific evidence and drawing conclusions • Identifying the assumptions, evidence and reasoning behind conclusions Students can determine if scientific measurement can be applied to a given variable in an investigation. Students can appreciate the relationship between a simple model and the phenomenon it is modelling. Students can demonstrate ability to understand and articulate the complex modelling inherent in the design of an investigation. • Context • - Personal • Social/public • Global • Competencies • Identify scientific issues • Explain phenomena scientifically • Use scientific evidence Students can recall an appropriate, tangible, scientific fact applicable in a simple and straightforward context and can use it to explain or predict an outcome. Students can draw on a range of abstract scientific knowledge and concepts and the relationships between these in developing explanations of processes • Knowledge • Knowledge of science • Knowledge about science • Attitudes • -Interest in science • -Support for scientific enquiry • -Responsibility Students demonstrate ability to compare and differentiate among competing explanations by examining supporting evidence. They can formulate arguments by synthesising evidence from multiple sources. Students can point to an obvious feature in a simple table in support of a given statement. They are able to recognise if a set of given characteristics apply to the function of everyday artifacts.

Top and bottom performers in science These students can consistently identify, explain and apply scientific knowledge, link different information sources and explanations and use evidence from these to justify decisions, demonstrate advanced scientific thinking in unfamiliar situations… These students often confuse key features of a scientific investigation, apply incorrect information, mix personal beliefs with facts in support of a position… Large prop. of poor perf. Large proportion of top performers 20

Increased likelihood of postsec. particip. at age 19/21 associated with PISA reading proficiency at age 15 (Canada)after accounting for school engagement, gender, mother tongue, place of residence, parental, education and family income (reference group PISA Level 1) Odds ratioCollege entry School marks at age 15 PISA performance at age 15

Top performance

Who are top performers? Well trained students, not “just smart”

Who are top performers? % of top performers in

Gender: Who are top performers? Female and male students? Higher proportion of top performers among female than male students Higher proportion of top performers among male than female students Sorted by proportion of females who are not top performers in any subject area (+3%)

ESCS: Who are top performers? An advantaged background helps but a disadvantaged background is no curse

Confidence and engagement Top performers are engaged and confident learners L: Low performers M: Moderate performers S: Strong performers T: Top performers

Want to pursue science careers L: Low performers M: Moderate performers S: Strong performers T: Top performers … but do not feel particularly well informed Students would like to: Students know:

High ambitions and universal standards Rigor, focus and coherence Great systems attract great teachers and provide access to best practice and quality professional development

Challenge and support Strong support Poor performance Improvements idiosyncratic Strong performance Systemic improvement Lowchallenge Highchallenge Poor performance Stagnation Conflict Demoralisation Weak support

International Best Practice The past • Principals who are trained, empowered, accountable and provide instructional leadership • Principals who manage ‘a building’, who have little training and preparation and are accountable but not empowered • Attracting, recruiting and providing excellent training for prospective teachers from the top third of the graduate distribution • Attracting and recruiting teachers from the bottom third of the graduate distribution and offering training which does not relate to real classrooms • Incentives, rules and funding encourage a fair distribution of teaching talent • The best teachers are in the most advantaged communities Human capital

International Best Practice The past • Expectations of teachers are clear; consistent quality, strong professional ethic and excellent professional development focused on classroom practice • Seniority and tenure matter more than performance; patchy professional development; wide variation in quality • Teachers and the system expect every child to succeed and intervene preventatively to ensure this • Wide achievement gaps, just beginning to narrow but systemic and professional barriers to transformation remain in place Human capital (cont…)

High ambitions Devolved responsibility,the school as the centre of action Accountability and intervention in inverse proportion to success Access to best practice and quality professional development

Strong ambitions Devolvedresponsibility,the school as the centre of action Integrated educational opportunities From prescribed forms of teaching and assessment towards personalised learning Accountability Access to best practice and quality professional development

A commitment to education and the belief that competencies can be learned and therefore all children can achieve • Universal educational standards and personalisation as the approach to heterogeneity in the student body… • … as opposed to a belief that students have different destinations to be met with different expectations, and selection/stratification as the approach to heterogeneity • Clear articulation who is responsible for ensuring student success and to whom • Coherence of policies and practices • Alignment of policies across all aspects of the system • Coherence of policies over sustained periods of time • Consistency of implementation • Fidelity of implementation (without excessive control) • Clear ambitious goals that are shared across the system and aligned with high stakes gateways and instructional systems • Well established delivery chain through which curricular goals translate into instructional systems, instructional practices and student learning (intended, implemented and achieved) • High level of metacognitive content of instruction • Incentives, accountability, knowledge management • Aligned incentive structures • For students • How gateways affect the strength, direction, clarity and nature of the incentives operating on students at each stage of their education • Degree to which students have incentives to take tough courses and study hard • Opportunity costs for staying in school and performing well • For teachers • Make innovations in pedagogy and/or organisation • Improve their own performance and the performance of their colleagues • Pursue professional development opportunities that lead to stronger pedagogical practices • A balance between vertical and lateral accountability • Effective instruments to manage and share knowledge and spread innovation – communication within the system and with stakeholders around it • A capable centre with authority and legitimacy to act • Capacity at the point of delivery • Attracting, developing and retaining high quality teachers and school leaders and a work organisation in which they can use their potential • Instructional leadership and human resource management in schools • Keeping teaching an attractive profession • System-wide career development • A learning system • An outward orientation of the system to keep the system learning, international benchmarks as the ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ of the system • Recognising challenges and potential future threats to current success, learning from them, designing responses and implementing these Some lessons from successful systems • Investing resources where they can make most of a difference • Alignment of resources with key challenges (e.g. attracting the most talented teachers to the most challenging classrooms) • Effective spending choices that prioritise high quality teachers over smaller classes

Thank you ! www.oecd.org; www.pisa.oecd.org All national and international publications The complete micro-level database email: pisa@oecd.org Andreas.Schleicher@OECD.org … and remember: Without data, you are just another person with an opinion

Excellence in Education Educating talented students