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Periodical
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education
Volume
41
Year
2020
Issue number
3
Page range
484-496
Relates to study/studies
PISA 2012
PISA 2015

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What does PISA participation cost in the US?

Abstract

Much attention has been given to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and its effects in different education systems, including the United States. This paper begins to address a major gap in this literature by focusing on the costs of participation in PISA. The paper draws on content analysis of official documents and budgets, as well as qualitative interviews with select government officials at federal and state levels. It details costs in three categories: direct overhead to the OECD, national implementation, and in-kind or human burden. As such, the paper details information on costs of PISA, important for eventual cost-benefit frameworks that may be useful for continued policy deliberations over US participation in PISA and other international large-scale assessments.