Peer-reviewed article
The International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study, PISA and the decline of the OECD's testing regime
Diana Sousa, Paul Morris, Peter D. Moss ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed article critically examines the OECD's International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), a standardised test of five-year-olds first reported in 2020. The authors analyse IELS within the broader context of international large-scale assessments and their criticisms. The paper argues that IELS failed to achieve its stated goals and reproduces many problems identified in previous critiques of such testing regimes. The authors suggest that IELS has contributed to declining interest in the OECD's approach and advocate for alternative methods of comparative education research.
Key points
- IELS is positioned by the OECD as a flagship assessment and 'the future of assessment'
- The study critically examines IELS's rationale, processes and outcomes
- IELS is shown to manifest many of the problems that critics have identified in international large-scale assessments
- The paper argues IELS has contributed to waning interest in the OECD's testing regime
- The authors recommend giving greater attention to alternative approaches to comparative research
Limitations
This is a critical analysis of an assessment tool rather than an evaluation of child outcomes or interventions. The document does not report empirical findings on children's well-being or development, making it unsuitable for generating evidence on what works to improve child well-being.
Abstract
International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) have had a global influence on education in recent decades, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has played a leading role, most notably with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The organisation's latest ILSA is the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), a test of five-year-olds, which first reported in 2020. The OECD has portrayed IELS as significant, describing it as ‘a great example’ and the ‘future of assessment’. We locate IELS within the OECD's ILSA testing regime and its extensive critiques. Subsequently, through an analysis of IELS documentation, we explore its rationale and processes and then contrast these with its reported outcomes. We demonstrate that IELS has failed to deliver on its intentions and acutely manifests many of the problems that critics of ILSAs have identified. We argue that IELS has contributed to the waning interest in the OECD's testing regime and that other approaches to comparative research should be given greater attention.