School participation in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022: FOI release

Information requested

The schools selected to take part in PISA 2022 in Scotland were notified at the end of February. Could you please share any information the government holds on the number of schools taking part in PISA 2022?

Could you please provide a list of the schools taking part in PISA 2022?

Could you please provide any information that explains how the schools due to participate in PISA 2022 were selected?

Could you also please provide a list of the Scottish schools that took part in PISA 2018 and PISA 2015?

Response

The answer to your questions are:

Could you please share any information the government holds on the number of schools taking part in PISA 2022?
121 schools in Scotland were selected in the main sample for PISA and have been invited to take part in assessments. A reserve list of schools is held of those who will be invited if any schools in the main sample are unable to take part. The final number of schools taking part in PISA assessments will not be confirmed until assessments are complete in November 2022.

Could you please provide a list of the schools taking part in PISA 2022?
Schools are recruited to take part in PISA under the condition of confidentiality. The Privacy Notice for PISA (Privacy notice for PISA 2021 (nfer.ac.uk) states that: The responses to the study from pupils, parents and schools are treated in confidence and no school or individual will be identified in any of the PISA reports. Due to data confidentiality, the list of schools that take part in PISA cannot therefore be published. This is the case for schools taking part across the UK.

Could you please provide any information that explains how the schools due to participate in PISA 2022 were selected?
In PISA, each participating country is represented by a sample of schools and students selected to reflect its population and educational contexts and provide valid estimates of student achievement. In Scotland, the sample is stratified on the basis of previous exam performance (split into five categories), whether schools were publicly funded or independent, urban/rural location and school size, and whether schools were single-sex or mixed. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) undertakes the assessments in Scotland, and selects a random sample of schools based on this stratification. This sample is confirmed by the international consortium which manages the PISA survey.

Could you also please provide a list of the Scottish schools that took part in PISA 2018 and PISA 2015?
Schools are recruited to take part in PISA under the condition of confidentiality. The Privacy Notice for PISA states that: The responses to the study from pupils, parents and schools are treated in confidence and no school or individual will be identified in any of the PISA reports. Due to data confidentiality, the list of schools that take part in PISA cannot therefore be published. This is the case for schools taking part across the UK.

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