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Information for Teachers

Why is PISA important?

PISA is an important international study that has been conducted since 2000. Every 3 years, students from around the world participate in PISA, and the results are released in international and national reports. Often, media report on the results, and policymakers, researchers, educators, and the public get a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. education system. In 2015, schools, teachers, and students in more than 70 other countries and educational jurisdictions will participate in PISA.

How are teachers selected for participation?

In PISA, each country is represented by a small sample of schools and students selected to reflect its population and educational contexts and provide valid estimates of student achievement. Within each of the PISA schools, up to 25 teachers - 10 science teachers and 15 non-science teachers- are randomly selected to complete a teacher questionnaire. Teacher eligibility is defined as those teachers eligible to teach the modal grade (grade 10) regardless of subject. PISA defines science teachers as those who teach applied sciences or technology, not including computer technology.

How are teachers selected for PISA contacted?

Schools will be informed of their selection in an initial mailing that includes informational materials, such as the PISA brochure and a timeline of activities. Shortly thereafter, a PISA staff member will contact each school to discuss participation, answer any questions, and begin planning. Schools also will be given access to a secure website where they can learn about every step of the PISA process, find important information regarding the administration of PISA in their school, and communicate with PISA staff. For most schools, there will be a pre-assessment visit to the school to answer questions and ensure that the assessment day will go as efficiently as possible.

Each school is asked to identify a school coordinator who will work with trained PISA staff to prepare for the assessment. Among the duties of the school coordinator is to provide sampled teachers with additional information about the study as well as login information for the teacher survey. The school coordinator in each school is the primary contact between PISA staff and school staff.

What does participating in PISA involve for teachers?

In 2015, for the first time, PISA is asking teachers to complete a questionnaire (administered online) about their background, education and professional development, and their school. This will provide important contextual information about the instructional context of schools with which to interpret PISA results and represents an opportunity for teachers to voice their thoughts on a number of topics. There are separate teacher questionnaires that will be administered to science teachers and non-science teachers. The online questionnaire can be completed in 30 minutes on average.

Who will see my data?

Individual responses provided by teachers will not be reported to the school or district. Moreover, students' performance on PISA is not linked to any individual teacher. By law, the data provided by schools, staff, and students may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. § 9573). Reports of the findings from PISA 2015 will not identify participating districts, schools, students, or staff. Individual responses will be aggregated with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

What if I have additional questions?

If you have questions about PISA in your school, you may call PISA staff at 1-888-638-2597 or send an email to PISAHELP@westat.com. Examples of PISA questions can be found here. Examples of reports from earlier cycles of PISA can be found here. For other information or questions, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here, or you can use the "Contact Us" button at the top of the page.