Dive Brief:

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development announced Thursday that it will partner with the Northwest Evaluation Association to deliver its exam to U.S. schools in 2016. 
• In Fall 2016, the NWEA will also become the OECD's International Assessment Platform Provider worldwide.
• Data from the tests, which will now be offered online for the first time, allows countries to compare their results on an international level.

Dive Insight:

The OECD's Test for Schools is voluntary, and based on a survey administered in more than 70 countries. The goal of the test is to provide benchmarks for evaluating student performance in various countries, with unique benchmarks that are customized for each nation. The test also inquires about student attitudes and school culture, in an attempt to provide a comprehensive overview.

“Schools administer the OECD Test for Schools to a random sample of fifteen-year-old students to assess how well the school is preparing them in math, science, and reading compared to their peers in schools in the United States and in other countries,” a press release about the new partnership with NWEA states. 

The OCED exam has previously been used to determine that Sweden’s test scores were on the decline and the thrust of educational innovation in the U.S. Its tests have also been the focus of some controversy, with global academics coming together to write letters challenging the efficacy of the OCED ranking systems and decrying the “frenzies” that happen after countries see their scores decline.