PISA 2009 involved about 400,000 students from 67 countries in its international assessment of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds. In Canada, students participated in all 10 provinces, with approximately 20,000 students in 900 schools taking the tests. Reading was the major domain in 2009, with retrieving information, interpreting texts, and reflection and evaluation seen as the key skills in reading. The minor domains were mathematics and science. The PISA 2009 assessment was administered in both French and English. Results will be reported at the country and provincial levels, with information on both the anglophone and francophone education systems of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
The main assessment required a total of three and a half hours, including the two-hour test in the three domains. Students also completed a questionnaire on factors that contribute to student achievement, including family background, home environment, parental involvement, and parental expectations. Analyzing the results of a questionnaire given to school principals will provide information on the impact of school characteristics on achievement. This fourth PISA assessment took place at the same time as the Youth in Transition Survey.
The results of PISA 2009 will be published on December 7, 2010.