Madam, – In the Editorial, “Putting Ireland top of the class” (April 25th), it was incorrectly stated 15-year-olds in Ireland achieved “only average in science” in OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), administered in 2009. In fact, in all four PISA cycles to date, Irish students have performed significantly above the corresponding OECD average in science.
In the same Editorial, it is argued that increases in the proportions of immigrant and special needs students in post-primary schools “do not stand up to scrutiny” as explanations for lower average scores among students in Ireland on reading and maths. In our report on the performance of students in Ireland in PISA 2009, my colleagues and I noted that the proportion of “immigrant” students increased from 2.3 per cent of 15-year-olds in 2000 to 8.3 per cent in 2009, and that, whereas in 2000 immigrant students had significantly higher average scores in reading literacy and maths than “native” students, by 2009, they had significantly lower scores. What has also changed in the meantime is the socioeconomic profile of immigrant students (it is now lower), and their proficiency in English (the proportion of students speaking a language other than English/Irish increased from 0.9 per cent in 2000 to 3.6 per cent in 2009. No other OECD country with non-selective immigration experienced this level of change between 2000 and 2009.
Far from creating a level playing field, as the Editorial claims, this and other changes (including more special needs students in schools), which impact on some schools to a greater extent than others, represent a significant challenge, not only in terms of raising the achievement levels of students with immigrant backgrounds, but also in ensuring that “native” students continue to reach their potential, in a context of rapidly diminishing home and school resources.
Finally, it is important to note that PISA is a low-stakes assessment for participating schools and students. In the absence of objective corroborating data, care should be exercised in basing conclusions on the effectiveness of the Irish educational system on a set of tests that have no obvious immediate consequences for those who sit them. – Yours, etc,