Letters and Brochure

State PISA Field Test Letter
[Date]
[Title] [Name First] [Name Last]
[Title/Department]
[State]
[Address 1]
[Address 2]
[City], [State] [Zip code]
Dear [Title] [Name Last]:
The United States is participating in an important international study in 2012 to help benchmark student
performance in our country to that of other countries around the world: the Program for International
Student Assessment (PISA). Some schools in your state have been randomly selected to participate in the
international field test for PISA this spring. I am writing to ask your agency to support the participation
of schools in your state in the PISA field test.
PISA is administered every three years in more than 60 countries and provides important information for
comparing the performance of 15-year-old U.S. students in reading, mathematics, and science with 15year-old students in other countries. For the first time in the United States, computer-based versions of
PISA will be tested out to see if they can efficiently and effectively collect the same information as pencil
and paper assessments. In addition, PISA 2012 will provide an opportunity for the United States to gather
information on students’ financial literacy compared with other countries. New assessment questions have
been developed for the 2012 assessment. The new questions will be tested this spring to ensure that they
accurately measure our students’ knowledge and skills. Field testing the new questions is necessary to
eliminate wording or topics that would put U.S. students at a disadvantage in answering relative to
students in other countries.
PISA and the field test process for schools are described in more detail in materials enclosed with this
letter. The study is sponsored in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
in the U.S. Department of Education and is conducted by Westat in Rockville, Maryland. The U.S. Office
of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0755. While
participation in this study is entirely voluntary, we ask your agency to support participation on the part of
schools in your state so that the United States has a representative sample of schools across the country.
NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Public Law
107-279, Section 153). By law, the data provided by your schools, staff, and students may be used only
for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose
(Public Law 107-279, Section 183 and Title V, subtitle A of the E-Government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107347)). Reports of the findings from the field test will not identify participating districts, schools, students,
or individual staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce
summary statistics and reports.
Within the next few weeks, a representative of Westat will contact sampled school districts and schools to
discuss conducting data collection. In the meantime, if you have questions about the study, please do not
hesitate to call David Kastberg at 1-888-638-2597 or send an email to [email protected]. You
may also get more information about these studies by contacting Dana Kelly at NCES at (202) 219-7101
or visiting the PISA website at: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/.

Thank you for your time and support. PISA is an important element in the U.S. effort to benchmark the
performance and progress of our education system against international standards.
Sincerely,
Stuart Kerachsky
Deputy Commissioner
cc: [State assessment coordinator name]
Enclosures

District PISA Field Test Letter

[Date]
[Title] [Name First] [Name Last], [Title/Department]
[School District]
[Address 1]
[City], [State] [Zip code]
Dear [Title] [Name Last]:
The United States will be participating in an important international study in 2012, the Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA), to help benchmark student performance in the United States
compared to that in other countries around the world. We are contacting you because one or more
schools in your district have been randomly selected to represent the United States in the international
field test for PISA this spring.
PISA is administered every three years in more than 60 countries and provides important information for
comparing the performance of 15-year-old U.S. students in reading, mathematics, and science with 15year-old students in other countries. In addition, PISA 2012 will provide an opportunity for the United
States to gather information on students’ financial literacy compared with other countries. The United
States will also administer computer-based assessments in mathematics, reading and problem solving.
The field test to be conducted this spring is crucial to ensuring a fair international comparison of student
performance. Field testing the new assessment is necessary to eliminate wording or topics that would put
U.S. students at a disadvantage in answering relative to students in other countries. In some schools, all
students will take a paper-based assessment with a subsample of students taking the computer-based
assessments. In other schools, students will only take the computer-based assessment.
We ask your agency to support the participation of schools in your district in the PISA field test. Schools
that participate in the 2011 field test will not be sampled again for the 2012 main assessment. In addition,
to compensate their time and efforts, participating schools will receive $200 (or equivalent in equipment
or supplies) and each student who takes the field test will receive $25. Students selected for the subsample
taking both the paper-and-pencil and computer-based assessments will receive an additional $15. In
addition, each school’s PISA school coordinator will receive $100 for their time and effort to coordinate
PISA in the school.
Materials enclosed with this letter describe PISA and the field test process for schools in more detail. The
assessment is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES) and is conducted by Westat, a research organization based in Rockville, Maryland. The U.S.
Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0755. While
participation in this study is entirely voluntary, we ask your agency to support participation on the part of
schools in your district so that the United States has a representative sample of schools across the country.

Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will contact the following school or schools in your
district that have been selected for the field test: [LIST SAMPLED SCHOOLS HERE…].
NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Public Law
107-279, Section 153). By law, the data provided by your schools, staff, and students may be used only
for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose
(Public Law 107-279, Section 183 and Title V, subtitle A of the E-Government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107347)). We will disclose the names of schools only to the governing district for each school, and we
require that each district maintain the confidentiality of the sampled schools in the PISA field test.
Reports of the findings from the field test will not identify participating districts, schools, students, or
individual staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce
summary statistics and reports.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call 1-888-638-2597 or send an email to
[email protected]. You may also get more information about this study by contacting Dana Kelly
at NCES at 202-219-7101 or visiting the PISA website at: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/.
Thank you for your time and support. PISA is an important element in the U.S. effort to benchmark the
performance and progress of our education system against international standards.
Sincerely,

Stuart Kerachsky
Deputy Commissioner

School PISA Field Test Letter
[Date]
[Title] [Name First] [Name Last], [Title/Department]
[School District]
[Address 1]
[City], [State] [Zip code]
Dear [Title] [Name Last]:
I am pleased to inform you that your school has the opportunity to be a part of the upcoming Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012. In PISA 2012, the United States will participate along with more
than 60 other countries in a study that produces important international benchmarks in reading, mathematics,
science, general problem-solving, and financial literacy of 15-year-old students. Your school is one of 127 across
the United States that has been randomly selected to take part in the PISA field test this coming spring.
The PISA 2012 field test will examine assessment questions to ensure that they accurately measure our students’
knowledge and skills. The field test is vital to ensuring a fair assessment whose samples of students are comparable
across countries. Testing the questions identifies wording or topics that would disadvantage U.S. students during
the assessment.
I encourage your school’s participation in the PISA field test. U.S. participation in PISA yields valuable
information about our students’ abilities at the national and international level. As compensation for time and
effort, your school will receive $200 and students who take the field test will receive $25. Some students will also
be selected to take an additional assessment to try out questions administered on a computer. These students will
receive an additional $15. Your school’s PISA school coordinator (a staff person you designate to liaise with PISA
staff) will receive $100 for his or her time and effort coordinating PISA in the school.
Materials enclosed with this letter further describe PISA and the field test process for schools. The assessment is
sponsored in the United States by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES) and is conducted by Westat in Rockville, Maryland. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has
approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0755. We will only disclose the names of schools to the
governing district for each school, and we require that each district maintain the confidentiality of the sampled
schools in the PISA field test. For more information on the confidentiality of the data collected, please see the
enclosed FAQ. I hope you will participate in this voluntary study because it is important that the United States has
a nationally representative sample of schools.
Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will call you to answer any questions you have about the field
test and discuss your participation in PISA. If you have any questions about the PISA field test or your school’s
participation before then, please feel free to call 1-888-638-2597, or send an email to [email protected].
You may also contact Dana Kelly at NCES at (202) 219-7101 or visit the PISA website at:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/ for more information about PISA.
Your participation in the field test for PISA 2012 is vital; I hope you and your school will take advantage of this
opportunity. Thank you for your time and for supporting this important international study.
Sincerely,
Stuart Kerachsky

Deputy Commissioner
Enclosures
NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-279, Section 153).
By law, the data provided by your school, staff, and students may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used,
in identifiable form for any other purpose (Public Law 107-279, Section 183 and Title V, subtitle A of the E-Government Act of
2002 (P.L. 107-347)).

COVER
fold

BACK
fold

inside

What countries are
participating in PISA 2012

How do I get more
information?

Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland

Portugal
Romania
Russian
Federation
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

North and
South America
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Mexico
Peru
Trinidad and
Tobago
United States
Uruguay

Asia-Pacific
and Africa

Australia
Hong Kong-China
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Republic of Korea
Macao-China
Malaysia
Mauritius
New Zealand
Qatar
Shanghai-China
Singapore
Chinese Taipei
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab
Emirates
Vietnam

Visit the PISA website:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa

For additional questions about PISA 2012, contact
the PISA Information Hotline at 1-888-368-2597
or email to [email protected].
NCES is authorized to conduct PISA under Section 153, of Public Law
107-279. Information collected will help the U.S. Department of
Education’s ongoing efforts to benchmark student achievement in the
United States. Participation is voluntary. Data collected may be used only
for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable
form for any other purpose (Title V, subtitle A of the E-Government Act

Please feel free to contact the PISA U.S. Home Office

of 2002 (P.L. 107-347) and Section 183, Public Law 107-279). Individual

with any questions via e-mail at [email protected]

responses will be combined with those from other participants to

or by calling 1-800-368-2597

produce summary statistics and reports. The U.S. Office of Management
and Budget has approved this data collection under OMB # 1850-0755.

31118.1210.88320501

PROGRAM FOR
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENT
ASSESSMENT
OVERVIEW

PISA 2012

Europe

fold

fold

What will students be asked
to do in the field test?

What is PISA?
The Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) is an international assessment of 15-yearold students. In 2012, students from more than
60 countries including the United States will
participate. PISA measures how well students apply
their knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics,
and science to problems in real-life contexts.
Additionally, PISA 2012 will include computerbased assessments in mathematics, reading, and
general problem solving, and an assessment of
students’ financial literacy.
PISA is sponsored by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and
managed in the United States by the National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the
U.S. Department of Education.

Why is PISA important?
PISA provides a unique opportunity to compare
15-year-old U.S. students’ reading, mathematics,
and science knowledge and skills
with those of peers in countries
around the world. PISA
complements what we
learn from national
assessments by identifying
the strengths and weaknesses
of student performance
internationally. The results
inform national discussions about education as
well as international competitiveness.
PISA also compares U.S. student performance
over time and across different segments of the U.S.
student population. PISA examines relationships
between student performance and schooling
across countries to suggest national strengths
and weaknesses.

The field test consists of two sessions. The first
session is approximately three hours and includes
time for instructions, the administration of a paperand-pencil assessment, and a brief questionnaire
that students complete about themselves. The
second session is administered on a computer and
only some of the students will also participate in
this approximately one-hour session. Participation
is voluntary but important for identifying wording
and concepts that could disadvantage U.S. students
in the main study. Students’ efforts in the field test
ensure that the achievement of our nation’s 15-yearolds is accurately and fairly reported.

What is the purpose of
the PISA Field Test in 2011?
PISA conducts a field test (a small-scale, trial run
of the assessment) in every participating country to
see if any of the test questions are biased because of
national, social, or cultural differences. Statistical
analyses of student answers are also conducted to
check for evidence of differences in student performance across countries that could indicate a linguistic or conceptual translation problem. Test questions
that are found to be problematic are dropped from
the assessment or treated differently in the analysis.
In the spring of 2011, the United States will
participate in the PISA field test to assess the viability
of new test questions and procedures to be used
in PISA 2012. The field test will ensure a fair
assessment for U.S. students and also provide
valuable information about ways to reduce the
time and effort required of schools and students to
participate in PISA.

What type of assessment
is PISA?
The PISA assessments are developed through an
international consensus-building process involving
input from U.S. and international experts in reading,
mathematics, science, and financial literacy and
measurement. In a final step, the assessment is
endorsed as suitable by all participating countries.
The assessment contains a mix of questions: some
require students to select appropriate responses,
while others require that students solve problems
and provide written answers. Examples of PISA
reading, mathematics, and science assessment
questions are available at
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/educators.asp.

Program for International Student Assessment

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

PISA 2012

FIELD TEST
“PISA’s benefit is that it focuses more on the application of information than
the memorization of information. Internationally, education focuses on deeper
learning. Similarly, PISA reflects that international method and focuses on
deeper learning rather than wider.”

High School Principal, PISA 2009 Participant

PISA is an international assessment of 15-year-olds that measures how well students apply their
knowledge to solve problems related to reading, mathematics, and science in real-life contexts.
In PISA 2012, some students will also be assessed in financial literacy, that is, the knowledge
and skills that enable individuals to make informed choices about personal finances.

What is the field test for?
Field tests are a critical part of the development of test questions for international assessments
like PISA. Field tests (small-scale, trial runs of an assessment) allow assessment developers to
try out new questions to determine their performance when administered to students around
the world. The results of the U.S. field test will help assessment developers to eliminate wording
or topics that would put U.S. students at a disadvantage relative to students in other countries.
The field test is also designed to provide valuable information about ways to reduce the time
and effort required of schools and students participating in the assessment.

Why was my school selected for participation?
Your school was randomly selected so that the overall U.S. field test sample would be representative
of the overall U.S. school population. Field-testing on a diverse sample of students from a variety
of schools, locations, and backgrounds ensures that the assessment wording and concepts are not
regionally, culturally, or socially biased.

Why should my school and students participate?
PISA informs national discussions about education as well as international competitiveness.
By participating, students ensure fairness in the questions that will be used in the main study
in 2012. Field-testing the assessment questions will identify wording and concepts that could
disadvantage U.S. students in the main study. Students’ efforts in the field test ensure that the
achievement of our nation’s 15-year-olds is accurately and fairly reported.

Is it possible that my school will be selected for the main study
as well as the field test?
No, schools selected for the 2011 field test will not be selected for the 2012 main study.

Will all of our 15-year-old students be asked to participate?
Probably not. In each school, all 15-year-olds will have an equal chance of selection, and selected
students will be part of a nationally representative sample. Student selection is not based on any
student characteristic, other than being 15 years old. Only in very small schools will the school
sample include all 15-year-olds. In addition, some students with disabilities or limited English
proficiency may be excused from the assessment.

PISA 2012

Who conducts the field test assessment?
The entire assessment process will be undertaken by trained staff from Westat, a research organization
under contract to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES). NCES conducts this study under authorization in the Education Sciences Reform Act
of 2002 (Public Law 107-279, Section 153) and approval of the U.S. Office of Management and
Budget under OMB # 1850-0755.

Do teachers need to help administer the field test assessment?
No. Westat staff will visit the school on the day of the assessment, bringing with them all
the materials required, and they will handle the entire administration of the assessment. PISA staff
will also bring all of the necessary computer equipment for the computer-based assessments.

When will the field test be conducted?
The field test will be conducted between April 4–May 13, 2011. Westat will work with schools
to identify an assessment date convenient for the school in that time period.

Where will the field test be conducted?
The field test will be conducted in the schools that are selected to participate.

How long does the field test take?
The field test consists of two sessions. The first session is approximately 3 hours; it includes time
for instructions, the administration of the paper-and-pencil assessment, and a questionnaire that
students complete about themselves. The second session is administered on a computer; only
some of the students who took the paper-based assessment will participate in this approximately
1 hour session.

What will happen with the collected data?
The field test data will be used to evaluate whether the assessment accurately and fairly measures
students’ knowledge and skills in all participating countries. By law, the data provided by schools,
staff, and students may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in
identifiable form for any other purpose (Public Law 107-279, Section 183 and Title V, subtitle A
of the E-Government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-347)). Reports of the findings from the field test will
not identify participating districts, schools, students, or individual staff. Individual responses will
be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.

Where can I find more information?
Visit the PISA website:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa

For additional questions about PISA 2012, contact the PISA Information Hotline
at 1-888-368-2597 or email to [email protected].

O.M.B.  No. 1850-0755

CBAPP 31116.1210.88320501

PISA 2012

Applying
Knowledge and
Skills to Solve
Real-World
Challenges

PISA 2012

Summary of Activities

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THE PISA WEBSITE AT http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/PISA

Program for
International
Student
Assessment
(PISA) 2012

31117.1210.88320501

PISA focuses on young
peoples’ abilities to use
their knowledge and skills
to meet real-life challenges
in the future.
PISA provides a unique
opportunity for the United
States to understand its
educational standing in
comparison to other nations.
Findings from PISA are a
valuable resource for
discussing improvements in
reading, mathematics, and
science achievement for all
students in this country.

SUMMARY OF FIELD TEST ACTIVITIES FOR PISA 2012
Nov–Dec 2010
Principal

School
Coordinator

n

n
n

Identify a school coordinator.

Select an assessment date convenient for your school.

Jan–Mar 2011 Preassessment Contact
n

n

Arrange for the use of a classroom or an alternative quiet space
for the assessment.

n

Determine parent notification procedures.

n

Provide a list of eligible students to PISA staff.

n

n

n

Mar–May 2011 Assessment Visit

Complete a School Questionnaire
on the characteristics of the school
and its enrollment, resources, policies,
and learning environment.
Notify teachers, selected students and
students’ parents of the study and benefits
of participating.

n

Confirm the date and location
of the assessment for PISA staff.

n

Collect parental consent forms where
required and submit to PISA staff.

n

n

Provide school with materials explaining PISA and its
importance.

n

Work with the school coordinator to set an assessment date.

n

Maintain school and student confidentiality.

n

n

n

Find Out
More

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/PISA

Call the school coordinator to discuss
assessment day, space, and student
participation.
Select a random sample of eligible students
to participate.
Provide a School Questionnaire to the
school coordinator.

n
n

n

n

n

Represent other similar U.S. schools.

n

Receive U.S. national report with final results.

n

Receive $200 check for the school’s participation.

n

Receive U.S. national report with PISA 2012 results.

n

Receive $100 check for participating.

Collect completed School Questionnaire
and return it to PISA staff.
Ensure all sampled students are released
from class for the assessment.
Meet with PISA staff and review
the assessment.

n

n

PISA Staff

Help ensure all sampled students attend
the assessment.

n

Coordinate the principal’s completion
of the School Questionnaire.

Students

Arrange assessment space.

n

Benefits

Take the assessment and complete a
Student Questionnaire, in a 150 minute
session.
Some of these students will also take a
one hour computer-based assessment.
Computers for this assessment will be
provided by PISA staff.

n

n

n

Receive a Certificate of Volunteer Service for 4 hours
of community service.
Represent other U.S. students like themselves and
contribute to the profile of what American students
know and can do.
Receive compensation for participating. Students will
receive $25 for completing the paper-based assessment
and an additional $15, if selected, for participating in the
computer-based assessment.

Conduct assessment from start to finish.
Furnish all the assessment materials,
pencils, test booklets, and computers.
Conduct a follow-up interview with the
school coordinator at the end of the
assessment.
Pack up the materials to ensure that the
assessments are complete and secure.

CBAPP-C

Welcome to the U.S. PISA Team!
Congratulations, you have been selected to be part of a
special group of only 5,000 U.S. students representing the
United States in the
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012.
This fall, selected students from the United States will
match their knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics,
science, problem solving, and financial literacy, against
students from 64 other countries.
Come to the PISA Orientation and see what it’s all about!

When?
PISA Date:
PISA Time:
PISA Location:

Where?

What time?