IEA INSIDER 2025
assessments from which both the scientific community and educational policymakers can benefit.
These are just two examples of how large-scale programs could benefit from flexible, responsive assessment designs. Importantly, combining innovative assessment formats with well-established instruments can reveal added value that has been overlooked until now. This approach can help us address important research questions, such as the extent to which generative AI can help students solve subject- specific problems and how to measure the hidden potential of students who have recently immigrated to a new country. LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE YOUR WORK IN THIS ROLE WILL HAVE ON INFORMING POLICY AND SHAPING PRACTICE? Large-scale assessments play an important role in monitoring education systems and informing national and regional stakeholders. In that sense, my role does not differ from that of other researchers involved in these programs. We all share the responsibility of ensuring that these assessments continue to provide reliable, meaningful, and policy- relevant information over time. This involves improving and complementing traditional forms of assessment and reporting with new measures and approaches that address emerging questions and needs. As previously mentioned, we are living in a time of rapid technological change that opens up promising opportunities to expand the scope and practical relevance of large-scale assessments. I strongly believe in the value of long-term reporting systems. At the same time, I feel that they are sometimes overlooked in the public discourse, which is often shaped by short-term headlines. This is why I believe it is our responsibility as scientists to maintain the visibility of large-scale assessments in public and professional discussions and demonstrate their importance. Knowing how many students are at risk, whether an education system is improving over time, and whether troubling trends are emerging makes a difference. If we can help practitioners understand the relevance of these insights, then we are making a meaningful contribution ■
INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS PROVIDE A WEALTH OF DATA BUT ALSO POSE COMPLEX CHALLENGES. WHAT AREAS OF RESEARCH OR INNOVATION ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO EXPLORE WITHIN THIS CONTEXT? LARGE-SCALE International large-scale assessments must address several pressing challenges. One area I find particularly compelling is how to address rapid technological change. Innovations in digital media, learning platforms, and tools are transforming teaching and learning processes in all participating countries. These developments must be reflected in the design of primary assessments. The key challenge lies in adapting assessment instruments to these changing realities while maintaining comparability with previous cycles in order to monitor long-term trends.
"Large-scale assessments play an important role in monitoring education systems and informing national and regional stakeholders."
Another important challenge relates to the growing social and cultural diversity of student populations, particularly in Western countries. In Germany, for example, the proportion of students with a migration background has increased significantly in recent years due to geopolitical events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To better understand the competencies that newly arrived students bring to their classrooms, it would be helpful to supplement existing instruments thoughtfully, such as by offering selected test materials in students' first languages.
The Professorship for “Empirical Educational Research and Educational Monitoring” is supported by IEA at the University of Hamburg .
80
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting