International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement is an independent, international cooperative of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. It conducts large-scale comparative studies of educational achievement and other aspects of education, with the aim of gaining in-depth understanding of the effects of policies and practices within and across systems of education. Since its founding in 1958, IEA has conducted more than 30 research studies of cross-national achievement. IEA studies focus on subjects relating to mathematics, science, reading, civic and citizenship education, computer and information literacy, and teacher education, among others.
History
Even though the IEA became a legal entity in 1967, its origins date back to 1958 when a group of scholars, educational psychologists, sociologists, and psychometricians met at the UNESCO Institute for Education in Hamburg, Germany, to discuss problems of school and student evaluation. They believed that effective evaluation requires examination of both educational inputs as well as its outcomes. The founders assumed that if research could obtain evidence from across a wide range of systems, the variability would be sufficient to reveal important relationships within different school systems. They strongly rejected data-free assertions about the relative merits of various education systems, and aimed to identify factors that would have meaningful and consistent influences on educational outcomes.
Mission
The IEA, together with the association's membership, carries out comparative research studies in education and aims to:
Provide international benchmarks that may assist policymakers in identifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of their educational systems
Provide high-quality data that will increase policymakers' understanding of key school- and non-school-based factors that influence teaching and learning
Provide high-quality data which will serve as a resource for identifying areas of concern and action, and for preparing and evaluating educational reforms
Develop and improve educational systems' capacity of education systems to engage in national strategies for educational monitoring and improvement
Contribute to development of the worldwide community of researchers in educational evaluation
Location
IEA Amsterdam The IEA headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. carries out a wide range of duties related to IEA memberships, studies, finance, publications, and communication. These responsibilities include:
maintaining relationships with member institutions, partners, and external funding and research agencies
overseeing IEA projects and managing translation verification of the survey instruments and quality control of the data collection
financial planning and reporting
organizing international conferences and General Assembly meetings
managing IEA's publications and communications.
Staff in Amsterdam also disseminate study reports and information about the work of the association to the IEA members and the general public. IEA Hamburg The IEA's data processing and research department is located in Hamburg, Germany. is responsible for activities in several major areas, including:
data management for IEA studies and for other international and national studies
study preparation, organization, implementation, and coordination
delivering training workshops and seminars on analysis methods and use of educational research data
additional services commissioned by both national and international scientific institution
IEA Hamburg also provides scanner-assisted data collection, electronic scoring, and data interpretation services.
Studies
Since its founding in 1958, IEA has conducted more than 30 research studies of cross-national achievement. IEA studies focus on subjects of particular interest to IEA members. These include mathematics and science studies, reading studies, civic and citizenship education, computer and information literacy, and teacher education, among others. A regular cycle of studies in basic school subjects includes:
In 2005, IEA also initiated its first study in tertiary education:
.
IEA repeats assessments in specific subjects on regular and irregular intervals. The cycle of studies enables countries to monitor changes in education and educational achievement over time. IEA studies consider the processes and effects of education, using the notion of 'opportunity to learn' in order to understand the linkages between:
Intended curriculum
Implemented curriculum
Achieved curriculum.
To investigate these relations, IEA collects student achievement data, as well as background information from school principals, teachers, students, and policymakers about the contexts of teaching and learning. The IEA also designed the to provide educators with valuable experience in standardized assessment, implementation of the assessment procedures, and capacity building in planning and administering assessments, and reporting outcomes. A short basic assessment at the end of primary school, LaNA is intended for developing education systems where the IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study may be too difficult to implement.
Members
The IEA currently has more than 65 institutional members around the world, most which represent one national system of education, although a few countries have representation for more than one education system. Institutional Members include: Africa
