ERIC Number: EJ813594
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Sep
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1529-8957
EISSN: N/A
Ranks, Rates, and Numbers--and Confusion
Bracey, Gerald W.
Principal Leadership, v9 n1 p72-74 Sep 2008
The United States may be the most rank-crazy country in the world, but the world is catching up. The author cites the Organization for Economic and Cooperating and Development (OECD). When the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) started its international studies--the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS); the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS); and the 1995, 1999 and 2003 administrations of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)--it sought to downplay any "cognitive Olympics" aspect of the results. But OECD was for competition, and it brought out its own series of assessments (PISA). Ranks can be misleading, and in the education world, they frequently are. In this article, the author discusses the dangers of statistics, artificial distances, and oversimplification. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Achievement Rating, Global Approach, Academic Achievement, Misconceptions, Statistical Bias, Statistics
National Association of Secondary School Principals. 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1537. Tel: 800-253-7746; Tel: 703-860-0200; Fax: 703-620-6534; Web site: http://www.principals.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A