Student Performance Assessment Series: Benchmarking Learning Systems: Student Performance Assessment in International Context

This paper illustrates how high-performing nations integrate curriculum, instruction, and assessment to improve both teaching and learning and resulting in higher and more equitable achievement. As a large and increasing part of their examination systems, they use open-ended performance tasks and school-based assessments to give students opportunities to develop 21st century skills: The abilities to find and organize information to solve problems, frame and conduct investigations, analyze and synthesize data, and apply learning to new situations.