Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

PISA stands for Programme for International Student Assessment. It is an international study that measures the abilities of 15-year-olds from over 60 countries or economies in reading, mathematics, and science. The first three PISA surveys each focused on a particular subject area: reading (in 2000), mathematics (in 2003) and science (in 2006). In its fourth cycle (in 2009), the focus once again was reading as the primary assessment domain.

In April and May 2009, about 22,000 students from 1,000 schools across Canada participated in both English and French in the 4th Cycle of PISA. EQAO coordinated the administration in 112 anglophone Ontario schools and 61 francophone schools to a total of approximately 4100 Ontario students.

The next PISA survey will take place in 2012 with mathematics as the focus. The assessment will reintroduce the problem-solving component, which will be administered by computer, as will the mathematics component.

Information on Previous PISA Assessments

For more information about PISA, visit

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Government of Canada