In three-year intervals PISA examines the outcomes of education systems in the participating countries. The study concentrates on three competency areas (domains): science, reading and mathematics.
The results from PISA also include information on the connection between students' competencies and social characteristics and cultural background, as well as the school environment.
The "Programme for International Student Assessment" examines how well young people in the participating countries are prepared for the challenges of today's knowledge society. PISA concentrates on central and basic competencies which are not only important for the individual's learning and living chances but are also important for social, political and economic development.
PISA is the central part of an extensive indicator system implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This indicator system serves the purpose of informing the OECD's member countries about the strengths and weaknesses of their educational systems. As PISA takes place in cycles, it can be used as a continual observation in the sense of educational monitoring. PISA provides the governments who are the contractors of the study with empirically founded results which should help them to direct their educational systems on the basis of extensive and reliable data.
PISA is a survey conducted on behalf of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). It is coordinated by an international consortium led by the Australian Council for Educational Research
