/R E P E A T -- Media Advisory - Major OECD report on student performance in math, reading, and science to be released December 3, 2013/

TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2013 /CNW/ - On December 3, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will be releasing the results from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2012).

PISA is a triennial survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds near the end of their compulsory schooling. PISA 2012 tested over half a million students, including 21,000 Canadians from 900 schools, on their skills and knowledge in three core subject areas. The major focus of the assessment was mathematics, with a secondary focus on reading and science.

A companion Canadian report will be released on the same day.

Of particular interest to media:

• The assessment is administered once every three years. This makes it possible to compare student performance over time. PISA 2012 will provide significant information about how well students have been performing in mathematics, reading, and science since the first administration of PISA in 2000.
  
  
• The Canadian report provides information on student performance at the provincial level and examines comparative results among Canadian provinces and other countries and economies. It also provides performance results for English- and French-language systems and by gender.

Preliminary program for Tuesday, December 3, 2013

5:00 a.m. EST	OECD report made available on-line www.pisa.oecd.org
5:00 a.m. EST	Canadian report made available on-line www.pisacan.ca
12 p.m. EST	Minister responds to PISA results The Honourable Jeff Johnson, Chair of CMEC and Alberta's Minister of Education, will be at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto to speak with key education and innovation leaders on the results of PISA and ensuring that Canadian students have the skills they need for the knowledge-based economy. The Collaboration Centre Café MaRS Discovery District 101 College Street Toronto, Ontario Media are invited to attend. CMEC representatives will be available for interviews.
12 p.m. EST onward	Individual interviews in English or French The Honourable Jeff Johnson, Chair of CMEC and Minister of Education, Alberta Dr. Andrew Parkin, Director General of CMEC

Members of the media are asked to contact Sarah Jordison ([email protected]; 416-578-5638) for further information or to arrange an interview with CMEC representatives.

About CMEC

Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education. For more information, visit us at www.cmec.ca.

SOURCE: Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Sarah Jordison
Communications Manager
Cell: 416-578-5638
Tel.: [phone], ext. 286
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @CCMEC