[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-585083-105":59,"doc-detail-585083-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","how-large-scale-assessments-have-informed-education-policy-in-ireland-summary-implications","HOW LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENTS HAVE INFORMED EDUCATION POLICY IN IRELAND - Summary & Implications","","Large-scale assessments in Ireland have revealed stable trends, periods of change, and notable surprises that shaped education policy decisions. This brief explains how data from Ireland’s National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2011–2020 informed priorities, target setting, and monitoring, and how curriculum redevelopment and standardized testing reform reflected assessment findings. It also outlines how such evidence can guide Ireland’s next National Strategy to 2033, including digital literacy, and highlights policy considerations for other countries using ILSA data.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/how-large-scale-assessments-have-informed-education-policy-in-ireland-summary-implications/585083/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/how-large-scale-assessments-have-informed-education-policy-in-ireland-summary-implications/585083.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Maya Linwood","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main purpose of this Compass Brief?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It explains how large-scale assessment data informed Ireland’s National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2011–2020 and how findings influenced later initiatives, including testing and curriculum redevelopment. It also discusses how similar data can inform Ireland’s next strategy to 2033 and how policymakers elsewhere can use ILSA evidence appropriately.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which national strategy areas does the document say were emphasized in 2011–2020?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The strategy emphasized parental and community involvement, teacher professional practice, school leadership capacity, curricula, resources for children with additional needs, and assessment practices. It also included increased weekly instructional time for literacy and mathematics and mandatory standardized testing at three primary grade levels.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How did the document connect PISA results to policy changes in Ireland?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It describes a “PISA shock” following PISA 2009, with substantial declines in reading and mathematics, which led to the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011–2020). The strategy then set targets using NAMER and PISA data to increase higher proficiency and reduce lower proficiency.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},585083,1792116505,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":52,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},962084928432,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Number 26  \nHOW LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENTSHAVE INFORMED EDUCATION POLICY  \nIN IRELAND  \nSUMMARY  \nIn recent decades, large-scale assessments in Ireland have revealed consistent trends, phases of change, and some surprises. This Compass Brief explores how data from large-scale assessments informed Ireland’s National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2011–2020 , particularly regarding priorities, targetsetting, and monitoring. It also examines how related initiatives including curriculum redevelopment and standardized testing reform have reflected large-scale assessment findings. Looking ahead, we outline how large-scale assessments can inform Ireland’s next National Strategy to 2033, which encompasses digital literacy along with literacy and numeracy. More broadly, using Ireland as an example, we identify important issues for policymakers in other countries to consider when using ILSA (international large-scale assessment) data within their own national contexts.  \nIMPLICATIONS  \n▶ ILSAs provide examples of what has worked well and has been proved achievable internationally, such as some of the examples from Ireland described in this brief. While it is rarely advisable to borrow policies directly from other contexts, these policy insights can inform the development of appropriate nationally-tailored policies elsewhere.  \n▶ The wealth of data gathered for large-scale assessmentscan provide nuanced information beyond the headline achievement scores, highlighting a wide range of issues that require the attention of policymakers and educators.  \n▶ This case study from Ireland illustrates how policymakers can draw on accumulated evidence from a variety of studies, which provides a more stable basis for policymaking than relying unduly on any single set of findings.  \nAuthors  \nAidan Clerkin, Educational Research Centre Emer Delaney, Educational Research Centre  \nINTRODUCTION  \nIreland has participated in many ILSAs over the years, providing valuable insights into student performance in different domains. At primary level, fourth-grade students have engaged in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) . At post-primary level, eighth-grade students have participated in TIMSS, and 15-year-olds in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) (Figure 1) . NAMER (National Assessments of Mathematics and English Reading), reflecting Ireland’s primary curriculum, complement these international tests approximately every five years. Except for PISA 2009, discussed further below, findings from ILSAs have generally shown that Irish students  \nFigure 1: Large-scale assessment/survey cycles in which Ireland has participated  \nexcel in reading literacy and demonstrate above-average skills in mathematics and science compared to their peers internationally. Some recurring challenges have been identified. These include the comparatively low proportion of students in Ireland reaching the highest achievement levels—in contrast to relatively strong performance among lower-achieving students compared to other countries with similar levels of average achievement—and consistent areas of relative weakness, such as geometry/shape and space in mathematics. This Compass Brief uses the example of Ireland to illustrate how data from large-scale assessments can inform national policymaking.  \n2009 2016 2022  \nICCS-Eighth grade  \nNAMER-Second grade NAMER-Sixth grade  \n2001 2006 2011 2016 2021  \n2011-2012 2022-2023  \nPIAAC-16-65-year-olds  \nPIRLS-Fourth grade  \n2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2022  \nPISA-15-year-olds          \n2008 2013 2018 2024  \nTALIS-Teachers & principals (ISCED 2)  \n2018 2024  \nTALIS-Early childhood professionals (ISCED 0)    \n1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023  \nTIMSS-Fourth grade  \nTIMSS-Eighth grade  \n1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025  \n1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023  \nCycle in which Ireland participated  \nCycle in which Ireland did not part","cbCaidPzcGzq5Lwh","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidPzcGzq5Lwh","pdf",3652731,"English","# Summary\n# Implications\n# Introduction\n# National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011-2020)","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of this Compass Brief?\",\"answer\":\"It explains how large-scale assessment data informed Ireland’s National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2011–2020 and how findings influenced later initiatives, including testing and curriculum redevelopment. It also discusses how similar data can inform Ireland’s next strategy to 2033 and how policymakers elsewhere can use ILSA evidence appropriately.\"},{\"question\":\"Which national strategy areas does the document say were emphasized in 2011–2020?\",\"answer\":\"The strategy emphasized parental and community involvement, teacher professional practice, school leadership capacity, curricula, resources for children with additional needs, and assessment practices. It also included increased weekly instructional time for literacy and mathematics and mandatory standardized testing at three primary grade levels.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the document connect PISA results to policy changes in Ireland?\",\"answer\":\"It describes a “PISA shock” following PISA 2009, with substantial declines in reading and mathematics, which led to the introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011–2020). The strategy then set targets using NAMER and PISA data to increase higher proficiency and reduce lower proficiency.\"}]","HOW LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENTS HAVE INFORMED EDUCATION POLICY IN IRELAND - Summary & Implications | PDF",1792053607,25]