The Promises and Expectations of ILSAs Regarding Policymaking: Lessons from Latin America

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Promises and Expectations of ILSAs Regarding Policymaking: Lessons from Latin America
Language: English
Authors: César Guadalupe (ORCID 0000-0002-2717-0814)
Source: Comparative Education. 2024 60(3):458-477.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Elementary Education
Grade 4
Intermediate Grades
Secondary Education
Descriptors: International Assessment, Educational Assessment, Educational Policy, Policy Formation, Foreign Countries, Reputation, Alignment (Education), Design, Politics of Education, Achievement Tests, Mathematics Achievement, Elementary Secondary Education, Science Achievement, Mathematics Tests, Science Tests, Grade 4, Reading Tests, Reading Achievement, Secondary School Students, Adults
Geographic Terms: Latin America, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, Program for International Student Assessment, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
DOI: 10.1080/03050068.2024.2369477
ISSN: 0305-0068
1360-0486
Abstract: Standardised International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) have gained prominence in global and national educational discussions. ILSAs claim to offer valuable insights for improving education systems, but their impact on educational policy varies and has become a contested arena. This article analyses how these assessments fed educational policymaking in six Latin American countries based on a review of policy documents; the article advances three theses on how ILSAs are used by policymakers: First, there is a tokenistic usage of ILSAs; second, ILSAs must be considered more as political devices bolstering national reputation rather than studies in the academic sense; third, ILSAs can serve as leverage tools that can be mobilised for broader political ends. The study shows that the promises, designs and reporting of ILSAs are not necessarily aligned, that participation in ILSAs has become a symbolic gesture, and that ILSAs' data are often cherry-picked to support pre-existing diagnoses and policy agendas.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1434778
Database: ERIC
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