What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That’s a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helps answer.

Beginning in 2000 and every three years since, PISA has assessed the reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy of 15-year-olds in some 65 countries. In 2006 the assessment concentrated on science, and researchers evaluated students’ knowledge and skills by measuring the depth of scientific literacy attained rather than the elements of curricula mastered.

PISA Science 2006 provides a thorough examination of the assessment—including chapters on creating a framework for scientific literacy, test design and development, and frequently answered criticisms—plus more than a dozen essays on important themes for science teachers and the study’s implications for teaching science in the future. Comprehensive, thought-provoking, and indispensable, this book provides educators with a top-down view of where we stand today in science education and what this means for students and educators.