TALIS
The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) asks teachers and school leaders about their working conditions and the learning environments. It covers important themes such as initial teacher education and professional development; what sort of appraisal and feedback teachers get; the school climate; school leadership; and teachers’ instructional beliefs and pedagogical practices. Norway participated in TALIS 2008 and 2013. Approximately 40 countries will participate in TALIS 2018.
Target groups:
•Lower secondary education teachers and leaders of mainstream schools
•200 schools per country; 20 teachers and 1 school leader in each school
•Representative samples of schools and teachers within schools
PISA
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international study that measures 15-year-olds’ competence in reading, mathematics and scientific literacy, and problem-solving. The pupils' performance is examined in relation to family background, attitudes, and teaching, among others. The study is conducted every three years.
TIMSS
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international study that focuses on pupils in grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and science. The family background, attitudes and teaching are also charted. The study is conducted every four years.
TIMSS "Advanced": physics and mathematics in upper secondary school (concluded)
Pupils in the final year of upper secondary school were tested in the spring of 2008. This is a follow-up of the similar study conducted as part of TIMSS 1995. The population for this study are pupils who have specialised in mathematics or physics, respectively.
National reading literacy tests
EKVA is responsible for developing the national reading literacy test for grade 8/9. The test focuses on pupils being able to read a wide range of texts from different fields. The test thus reflects the LK06 curriculum, where reading is highlighted as the basic skill required by all subjects.
The test takes two hours, and the number of texts and assignments vary to some extent every year. In 2008, the test consisted of 7 texts and 46 item.
The test material is divided into three areas, depending on the type of reading required:
- Find and collect information from the text
- Understand and collate information in the text
- Reflect on and assess the form and content of the text
25–30 % of the items are open-ended. The rest of the items are multiple-choice.
Numeracy mapping tests
EKVA develops national mapping tests in numeracy (number concept and calculation skills) on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. These tests are to be used in primary school grades 1, 2 and 3 as a part of the national quality assessment system. The purpose of the tests is to identify students with specific or general learning difficulties showing low levels of proficiency.
As a part of the assignment, guidance material for each of the three grades has also been developed. The guides provide teachers instructions and advice for monitoring at risk students who show very poor performance. Examples of educational activities that can be used by the schools are also outlined.
Oslo reading literacy test
The Oslo reading literacy test for grade 6 measures pupils' reading skills across all school subjects. The test is administered in January, and the schools receive feedback on the pupils' scores and the level of their reading competence. The Oslo reading literacy test for year 11 (first year of upper secondary school) measures pupils' reading skills in the first language subject. The test is administered at the end of the school year and is included as one component in the final grading of the students.
Concluded projects
International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) (concluded)
ICILS is an international comparative study of digital competence among pupils in grade 8.
The study is organized by IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) has academic responsibility for the study, while the Unit for Quantitative Analysis in Education (EKVA) at ILS and the Norwegian Centre for ICT in Education collaborate on execution of the study in Norway.
TEDS-M (concluded)
Teacher Education and Development Study – Mathematics was an international study of prospective mathematics teachers in primary and lower secondary school. TEDS-M was particularly interested in looking at the relationship between political frames for teacher training, education at teacher training colleges and universities, and the educational outcomes in the form of knowledge and attitudes on the part of teacher training students.
ICCS 2009 (concluded)
The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) was to investigate how youths are prepared for the role as citizens in democratic societies. The study was conducted in many countries. It was based on a previous IEA study of civic and citizenship education (CIVED) which was conducted in 1999.
The report from the study focused on students knowledge and, conceptual understanding of core concept of citizenship and democratic societies. The study further collected and analysed data on students’ values and attitudes towards their education in these topics and, more generally, their attitudes towards citizenship. Teacher and school questionnaires gathered information about teaching and classroom management practices, and school governance and climate.
At the beginning of the study, the National Context Survey collected information about the context in which civic and citizenship education took place; i.e. how it could be related to political and cultural aspects of the training in each participating country.
Evaluation of models for characteristics of competence attainment (concluded)
EKVA was responsible for evaluating the Directorate of Education's project "Better Assessment Practices". The project addressed the entire primary and secondary education, and different models for characteristics of competence attainment were tested.
A follow-up research project was to investigate how the different models and use of characteristics of competence attainment worked for the pupil, and how the teachers found the work of assessment and learning as a result of the testing. The evaluation report was completed in May 2009.