Comments on: Schools Minister woos next generation of voters by telling them they’re not good enough http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/10/schools-minister-woos-next-generation-of-voters-by-telling-them-they%e2%80%99re-not-good-enough/ Supporting your Local School Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:11:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Janet Downs http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/10/schools-minister-woos-next-generation-of-voters-by-telling-them-they%e2%80%99re-not-good-enough/#comment-11606 Janet Downs Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:12:06 +0000 http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/?p=4692#comment-11606 The full version of the study says: “Pupils in England scored an average of 495 points in the PISA 2009 reading assessment; 493 points in mathematics and 515 points in science. Although all scores were slightly higher than the average across the OECD countries, the difference was not statistically significant.”

I am surprised that the statisticians who analysed the PISA 2009 data didn’t notice that the English score of 515 points in science was actually significantly statistically ABOVE the OECD average. It is made quite clear in the PISA 2009 table published by the OECD.

The tables on pages 19-21 of the long version purport to show all the countries which took part in PISA 2009. As England has been separated from the rest of the United Kingdom then I would have expected to see the other three countries that make up the UK also listed separately. But they haven’t been included. No reason is given for this omission.

Both the long and the short versions of the study have this disclaimer:

“The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education.”

Really – I thought it was obvious that the report exactly reflects the views of the DfE. I doubt it would have been published otherwise.

https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR149.pdf (full version)

]]> By: Janet Downs http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2011/10/schools-minister-woos-next-generation-of-voters-by-telling-them-they%e2%80%99re-not-good-enough/#comment-11605 Janet Downs Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:10:24 +0000 http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/?p=4692#comment-11605 The link in the press release to the DfE analysis still does not lead to the actual document. However, a Google search found a brief version. The summary found that “Nine countries scored statistically significantly higher than England across all three strands of the PISA assessment [reading, maths, science] … these were: Shanghai-China, Korea, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Australia.”

So, only 9 out of 65 countries (68 if Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are included) scored statistically higher that England in all three subjects of reading, maths and science. However, the table in the study includes four extra countries – the reason for their inclusion is unclear. Perhaps to make England’s achievement look worse than it was.

https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DFE-RB149.pdf (short version)

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