Note on Piaac Progress

BenchmarkIntroduction

Benchmarks sheets

Proposed benchmarks based on an update of existing benchmarks

1 – Early school leavers

2 – Low achievers in basic skills

3 – Adult participation in lifelong learning

Benchmarks based on operationalising targets that were agreed by the Barcelona European Council (2002)

4 – Language learning

5 – Pre primary education

Benchmarks proposed for themes which have been increasingly recognised as key to the performance of education systems

6 – Investment in higher education

7 – Tertiary level attainment

8 – Mobility

Benchmark which could be considered after development work on possible approaches including data issues

9 – Employability

10 - Innovation and creativity

Explanatory note on the benchmarks proposed in the updated strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training

The Commission Communication "An updated strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training" COM(2008) 865 proposes a debate with Member States on the basis of a set of possible benchmarks for the future open method of coordination. This note provides additional information on the data on which these benchmarks are based.

General points

• The background for proposing a discussion on future benchmarks is that experience with the current indicators and benchmarks has shown that they are useful instruments in monitoring and communicating progress at the European level towards the common strategic priorities which Member States have agreed. They are thus key elements in the open method of coordination supporting the evidence-based policy-making to which all countries are committed. The Communication therefore puts forward for discussion proposals to update the set of benchmarks related to these priorities.

• The Communication suggests that Member States should adopt national targets in the areas where European benchmarks have been set. European benchmarks are not to be understood as national targets. The benchmarks are used only as "reference levels of European average performance" and therefore concern the identification of progress made at the European level. Any national targets defined by Member States would certainly need to take into account the specific situation and the particular national priorities in the individual countries while contributing to achieving the overall objectives defined in the European benchmarks.

• Finally, the Communication gives further details on how the ten possible benchmark areas have been identified and how it might be possible to move ahead with their development. It emphasises the importance of building on the existing set of benchmarks while exploring possible new areas in order to reflect the updated set of strategic challenges. First, it is proposed to update the existing benchmarks where necessary (low achievers in basis skills, early school leavers, adult learning participation). Second, it is proposed to operationalise the targets that were already agreed by the Barcelona European Council of 2002 (languages, pre-primary). Third, new benchmarks are proposed for themes which have been increasingly recognised by Governments across the Union as being key to the performance of their education systems. While data on investment in higher education an on higher education attainment are already available further development work on data will be required before a benchmark could be framed in relation to mobility. Finally, it is proposed that development work should begin both to define possible approaches and to address data issues in the areas of employability and innovation and creativity, including entrepreneurship.

More details in particular on current trends and the available data sets can be found in the subsequent information provided on each of the individual proposed benchmark areas.

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1.Early School Leavers

Proposed benchmark

It is proposed to maintain the benchmark on early school leavers for 2020 (based on data from the EUROSTAT Labour Force Survey).

Less than 10% early school leavers among young people (18-24 years old).

Data source: EUROSTAT LFS -Spring

The Early school leaversbenchmark is based on the percentage of the population aged 18-24 having attained at most lower secondary education and not being involved in further education or training. The numerator of the indicator refers to persons aged 18 to 24 who meet the following two conditions: (a) the highest level of education or training they have attained is ISCED 0, 1, 2 or 3c short and (b) they have not received any education or training in the four weeks preceding the survey. The denominator consists in the total population of the same age.

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Table: Early school leavers 2000-2007(Percentage of the population aged 18-24 with at most lower secondary education and not in further education or training)

Data Source: Eurostat

:=Not available e=Estimated value b=Break in series i=See explanatory text p=Provisional value u=Unreliable or uncertain data

b: break in series – u: unreliable or uncertain data

2.Low achievers in basic skills

Proposed benchmark

The share of low achievers in basic skills in secondary education (reading, mathematics and science) should be lower than 15% on average.

Source: OECD PISA

The PISA survey tests three key competences: literacy in reading, literacy in mathematics and literacy in science. Analyses of the results from PISA reveal that it is not only for reading literacy that young people perform poorly. Therefore, the Commission suggests extending the benchmark to include low performers in all three areas and to base the benchmark on an absolute performance level rather than a reduction in % as it is the case in the current benchmark.

The extension to include maths and science means that attention to these areas is given at an early age, hence compensating the removal of the already achieved benchmark on MST graduates.

By proposing a benchmark based on the absolute share of low achievers (15%), the proposed target is independent of the base year for calculating the achieved reduction. This sends a clearer message towards a concrete goal than the current benchmark. The proposed level of 15% for 2020 implies higher ambitions than the current benchmark, which would have implied achieving an absolute share of 17% low achieving 15 year olds by 2010. This can be justified by the extended time frame, which provides more years to achieve the benchmark.

The data used are based on the OECD PISA survey. It has been run three times, 2000, 2003 and 2006 and the results are considered as reliable. For the near future the survey will continue also every three years, with four new data sets to be available until 2020 (2009, 2012, 2015 and 2018).

Percentage of pupils with reading, maths and science literacy

level 1 and lower on the PISA scale, 2006

The EU average in this table is the arithmetic average of the low performers in reading, maths and science for the countries for which data is available.

3.Adult participation in lifelong learning

Proposed benchmark

At least 15 % of adults (aged 25-64) should participate in lifelong learning. Member States should set national targets to reduce the imbalance in participation between low and high skilled adults.

Data source: EUROSTAT LFS

The benchmark proposed is based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which provides data on an annual basis. Lifelong learning is computed on the basis of "participation in education and training in the last four weeks". The information collected relates to all education or training, whether relevant to the respondent's current or possible future job or not. It includes initial education, further education, continuing or further training, training within the company, and other kinds of training. It includes also courses followed for general interest and may cover all forms of education and training as language, data processing, management, art/culture, and health/medicine courses.

The quality and comparability of data on participation of adult in lifelong learning could be improved.A Eurostat task force dedicated to the improvement of education variables in the LFS and other household surveys started to work on the improvement on the indicator 'lifelong learning' in December 2008 with 12 Member States. The first outcomes of the discussion will be communicated to the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks and to the Employment Committee Indicator Group in the last quarter of 2009 or first quarter of 2010.

The new Adult Education Survey (AES), whichhas been releasedrecently for18 countries, is only carried out every 5 years. Hence, it would not be adequate for monitoring progress.

Table: Participation in LLL 2000-2007 (% of adults 25-64 years old)

Source of Data: Eurostat, LFS annual averages

:=Not available e=Estimated value b=Break in series i=See explanatory text p=Provisional value u=Unreliable or uncertain data

4Language learning

Proposed benchmark

At least 80% of pupils in lower secondary education should be taught at least two foreign languages

Source: EUROSTAT (UOE)

The benchmark is based on the target set by the Barcelona European Council and, therefore, relates to taught languages, which is the first step in the language acquisition process.

The data is available from the EUROSTAT UOE data collection. However, data for a few EU countries are currently missing.

It should be noted that the proposed benchmark measures the percentage of pupils taught two foreign language and not mother tongue plus two foreign languages (where the language of instruction could also be considered a foreign language). A recent EURYDICE study: suggests that there are wide variations between countries in the percentage of pupils aged 15 who say that at home they mainly speak a language other than the language of instruction. The proportion ranges from 0.4 % in Poland to 25 % in Luxembourg.

The situation in countries with more than one national language would have to be clarified.

In the future the benchmark could be changed and could be based on the European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC), for which the framework was set out in the Commission's Communication of 13th April 2007. The first results from the initial phase of the European survey will only be available in 2012. The proposed benchmark would be an effective interim measure.

Percentage of pupils learning two foreign languages, by ISCED level

Source: Eurostat

S: Eurostat calculations

5Participation in pre-primary education

Proposed benchmark

At least 90% of young children should participate in pre-school education or care (4 year olds).

Data source: EUROSTAT (UOE)

There is substantial body of evidence that high quality pre-primary education gives benefits to the children who can profit of it. Recent studies stress that participation in high quality pre-primary education can produce positive effects (see 2009 Eurydice report 'Tackling Social and Cultural Inequalities through Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe), even more relevant for disadvantaged children. High quality pre-primary programs give a return on investments in terms of better learning careers, higher adults earnings and lower social costs (remedial spending and spending in different social programmes for health, justice, unemployment, etc.). The access of parents (especially mothers) to the labour market is also facilitated.

The indicator is based on administrative data including only children enrolled in educational institutions (EUROSTAT UOE data collection).The reference age is 4 years olds. Compulsory education starts at different ages in EU countries, therefore to use larger age groups would lead to poor comparability and misinterpretation.

Table:Participation in pre-primary education (Percentage of the 4 years old in education)

Data Source: EUROSTAT -UOE

6.Tertiary level attainment

Proposed benchmark

The share of the population 30-34 year old with tertiary educational attainment.

Source: EUROSTAT (LFS)- spring until 2004, annual average from 2005

The age cohort 30-34 year olds are targeted because this cohort is considered broadly old enough to measure the population share having completed tertiary education in the case of all countries while, at the same, time, giving a good framework for measuring the impact of recent policy initiatives in relationship to higher education.

An alternative benchmark could be discussed in relationship to the age cohort 25-34 year olds. The advantage of defining a benchmark in relationship to this age cohort would be that it would provide direct comparability to statistics in OECD's Education at a Glance. Moreover, the introduction of the BAMA structures in all Member States could also justify an extension of the age group since the first level successfully completed at a tertiary level will be a Bachelor degree (which should be completed at an earlier stage then the complete education programme). However, some countries might argue that 25-29 year olds are still too young for having completed tertiary education.

High educational attainment includes ISCED level 5 and 6. This level consists of tertiary programmes having an educational content more advanced than those offered at levels 3 and 4. Entry to these programmes normally requires the successful completion of ISCED level 3A or 3B or a similar qualification at ISCED level 4A or 4B. They must have a cumulative duration of at least two years.

ISCED 5A: Programmes that are largely theoretically-based and are intended to provide sufficient qualifications for gaining entry into advanced research programmes and professions with high skills requirements.ISCED 5B: Programmes that are practically oriented/ occupationally specific and are mainly designed for participants to acquire the practical skills and know how needed for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, the successful completion of which usually provides the participants with a labour market relevant qualification

ISCED 4 is not included. ISCED 4 comprises programmes that straddle the boundary between upper secondary and post-secondary education from an international point of view, even though they might clearly be considered as upper secondary or post-secondary programmes in a national context. These programmes can, considering their content, not be regarded as tertiary programmes. They are often not significantly more advanced than programmes at ISCED 3 but they serve to broaden the knowledge of participants who have already completed a programme at level 3.Typical examples are programmes designed to prepare students for studies at level 5 who, although having completed ISCED level 3, did not follow a curriculum which would allow entry to level 5, i.e. pre-degree foundation courses or short vocational programmes.

Source: EUROSTAT (LFS)