Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

• Overview
• Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
  • Overview
  • PISA 2025
  • PISA 2022
  • PISA 2018
  • PISA 2015
  • PISA 2012
  • PISA 2009
  • PISA 2006
  • PISA 2003
  • PISA 2000
• Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
• Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
• International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS)
• Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
• Teacher Education and Development Study - Mathematics (TEDS-M)
• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• Learning Assessment Data for Researchers

 

 

 

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students; in addition, it provides information about a range of factors that contribute to the success of students, schools, and education systems. PISA is a collaborative effort among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The project, which began in 2000, focuses on the capabilities of 15-year-olds as they near the end of compulsory education. Administered every three years,[1] it reports on science, reading, and mathematics proficiency, and provides a more detailed look at one of those domains in the years when it is the major focus. As a major focus, the domain is tested in greater depth, and takes up roughly one half of the total testing time. The major domain in 2025 was science, as it was in 2006 and 2015. Mathematics was the major domain in 2003, 2012, and 2022; and reading was the major domain in 2000, 2009, and 2022. Students’ proficiency in an innovative domain is also assessed in each cycle. In 2025, the innovative domain was learning in the digital world (computational problem-solving). PISA 2029 will have reading as the major domain, science and mathematics as the minor domains, and media and artificial intelligence literacy as the innovative domain. The repetition of the assessments at regular intervals yields timely data that can be compared internationally and over time.

As PISA is an international assessment, it measures skills that are generally recognized as key outcomes of the educational process. Rather than testing on facts, the assessment focuses on young people near the end of compulsory schooling, and their ability to use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.

Participation

International participation in PISA has grown steadily—from 32 countries/economies in 2000 to 41 in 2003, 57 in 2006, 65 in 2009 and 2012, 72 in 2015, 79 in 2018, and 81 in 2022. In the latest PISA cycle, in 2025, 83 countries and 8 economies participated. Canada has participated in PISA since its inception, through a partnership between CMEC and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

All 10 provinces have participated in each assessment. Approximately 20,000 Canadian students, from about 800 schools, have taken part in each PISA assessment, in either English or French. Schools and the students within schools are selected randomly for participation. This large sample size allows results to be reported for each province, as well as for both the French- and English-language school systems in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Currently, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut do not participate in PISA, nor do Indigenous students from band-operated schools.

The results are reported only at the pan-Canadian and provincial levels. No results are attributed to individual schools or students. PISA does not assess individual student achievement.

The assessment

In addition to two hours of direct assessment of science, reading, and mathematics, students in Canada complete a background questionnaire about themselves and their homes; their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours; and about their school experiences. School principals complete a separate questionnaire.

In order to determine the content of the assessment, experts from OECD Member countries developed definitions and frameworks for each domain, which guided the preparation of the testing instruments. More information on the assessment and analytical frameworks for PISA 2025 is available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2026/05/pisa-2025-assessment-and-analytical-framework_3abce6d6.html.

One other domain—financial literacy—was included in the PISA 2015, 2018, and 2022 cycles, and was administered as an option in some countries/economies, and including some Canadian provinces. Since 2015, PISA has been a completely computer-based assessment.

The benefits of PISA

Canada invests significant resources in the provision of elementary and secondary education, and Canadians are concerned about the quality of education provided by schools. The skills acquired by the end of secondary school are the essential foundation for further learning, and for meeting the social and economic challenges of the future. PISA examines the level of achievement of 15-year-olds, and provides an indication of the knowledge and skills they have acquired—as well as their preparedness for continuing their studies or entering the workforce.

Results from PISA are valuable to educators, governments, social-policy analysts, and advocacy groups. Comparative information helps in the evaluation of the effectiveness of existing programs and practices, as well as in the understanding of the influences of socioeconomic and other factors for educational success.

[1] PISA has been administered every three years since 2000. The PISA 2021 cycle was delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following PISA 2025, the assessment is moving to a four-year cycle.

Related Links

• OECD PISA Web site