Development and Implementation of the IEA International Education Studies

For nearly three decades, the United States (U.S.) Department of Education has been working with a number of organizations to improve the quality and comparability of education data in order to report on U.S. education in comparison with education in other countries. One of the major organizations with which the United States works with is the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (http://www.iea.nl). The IEA has a long and successful history of mounting major large-scale international education assessments and surveys, most recently the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 and the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2018. The IEA has established a regular cycle of assessments and surveys to provide policymakers, educators and the general public with information on the state of students knowledge in core academic subjects as well as emerging areas of policy interest, such as computer and information systems literacy and civic engagement and education. The IEA is now on schedule to implement the next round of data collection for several of its studies, including TIMSS and ICILS in 2023, PIRLS in 2026, and the International Civic and Civics Education Study (ICCS). ICILS is a computer-based international assessment of eighth-grade students computer and information literacy (CIL) skills. TIMSS focuses on fourth- and eighth-grade students mathematics and science knowledge and skills. PIRLS provides an opportunity for participating countries to gather information on fourth-grade students reading literacy skills. Both TIMSS and PIRLS have transitioned to a computer-based format. ICCS examines students' knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship, as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The IEA also occasionally conducts international education studies in other areas, such as early childhood education and teacher preparation at the tertiary level. All IEA studies allow participating countries to compare system level outcomes (for example, student achievement scores) to those in other education systems around the world. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) intends to contract with the IEA to develop and implement the next round of the IEA's international education studies. Through this contract, NCES will work with the IEA, globe-spanning subject matter, measurement, and sampling experts, as well as partner countries to ensure the collection of high-quality data that can inform relevant U.S. education policy questions. Each of the IEA's international education studies identified above provides unique information that cannot be duplicated through existing surveys, particularly due to their international context.