18/11/2021
The next PISA evaluation of education systems in 2025 will be a game-changer for the English teaching community worldwide, according to a leading English language assessment expert. Dr Hanan Khalifa from Cambridge English says the inclusion of key language competencies is a welcome addition to the world-renowned study. It will provide the comparative data that is needed at school level to really make a difference to national policies and strategy.
Dr Khalifa gave a briefing on Cambridge’s role in the forthcoming PISA evaluation at the 18th International Conference on Quality of Education in Morocco.
‘The next PISA study will be a gamechanger for English teaching worldwide. It will provide the much-needed up-to-date evidence to help shape national policies and teaching strategies,' commented Dr Khalifa. She continued: 'We’re delighted to be working on the English assessment part of this global study as it gives us the opportunity to use our expertise in impact research to really make a difference to the project.’
Cambridge English, which is supporting OECD in the development of the English language test that will be used in the 2025 study, has been involved in research on language education for several decades. We use our expertise in language learning and assessment to measure the impact of English language initiatives. This helps Cambridge to deliver an annual programme of impact research that helps governments to track objectives, measure outcomes and make policy decisions.
‘We work closely with organisations all over the world to measure the positive impact of English language learning and it’s fantastic that this type of evaluation is happening on such a global level,’ commented Dr Khalifa.
Speaking at the event Dr Khalifa explained that the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is the world’s largest survey of educational outcomes covering 80 countries, focusing on real life skills when evaluating 15-year-old students. PISA 2025 will be the first time to include foreign language assessment with English as the first foreign language to be assessed.