Research

In recent years ACER has supported the Mexican Ministry of Education (Secretaria de Educación Pública, SEP) in conducting national sample assessments of Reading and Mathematics for students in secondary school. The test, named SEP-ISA and prepared by ACER, is composed of a sample of OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test items, together with items from ACER’s International Schools’ Assessment program (ISA), which also use the PISA framework and reporting scale, thus creating a PISA-like instrument.  On each occasion the program has involved students from all states in Mexico, and approximately 300 schools at each year level. In 2008 the assessment was administered to students in the two final years of compulsory school (2o and 3o of secundaria; Years 8 and 9 equivalent). In 2010 the assessment involved students from all three years of secundaria as well the first year of high school (1o of bachillerato; Year 10 equivalent). Coder training, for items requiring expert judgment, was conducted by ACER staff in Mexico City, in English (for Mathematics) and in Spanish (for Reading). Student performance was analysed by ACER and related to the ISA and the PISA scale.