The Use of International Large-Scale Assessments in Education: Origins and Recent Developments

International large-scale assessments have been gaining prominence in the last decades in education. These surveys receive considerable attention from academics, policymakers and the media. Reported findings often implied doubts about whether a nation’s students are prepared to compete with their peers of other countries given the globalised economy. Results also raise concern over how well students are being prepared for citizenship and other adult roles in society. It is widely shared that these tools can provide helpful information and are useful for mobilising political will to invest in education. Nevertheless, the actual scope and the differences between these instruments and the other assessment activities implemented in most education systems are at issue. This paper describes the development and conduct of international large-scale surveys from their inception date. The purpose is to provide a critical review of how these studies were intended to contribute to the understanding of educational processes and place these large-scale studies in the context of comparative education.