International Differences in Educational Achievement

In the last decade of the 20th century, a growing concern has emerged over the improvement of quality of education in developed and developing countries. International economic pressure, the expansion of the globalization process, the massive implementation of new information and communications technologies, together with other social, political, and economic phenomena of great impact drew attention once again toward education, which is considered a decisive factor to guarantee the economic and social development of nations.

International assessment of education results, using student standardized tests, is a trend that has been consolidated in the past 15 years. From the perspective of the theory of assessment and quality of education, the complexity of the relationship between the “referent” and the standardized assessment may be addressed.

Various educational stakeholders and ...