IEA became a legal entity in 1967. Its origins, however, date back to 1958 when a group of scholars, educational psychologists, sociologists, and psychometricians met at the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) in Hamburg, Germany, to discuss problems associated with evaluating school effectiveness and student learning. They argued that effective evaluation requires examination of both the inputs to education and its outcomes (such as knowledge, attitudes, and participation).
The founders of IEA viewed the world as a natural educational laboratory, where different school systems experiment in different ways to obtain optimal results from educating their youth. They assumed that if research could obtain evidence from across a wide range of systems, the variability would be sufficient to reveal important relationships that would otherwise escape detection within a single education system. They strongly rejected data-free assertions about the relative merits of various education systems, and aimed to identify factors that would have meaningful and consistent influences on educational outcomes.
The first IEA study, conducted in 1960 in 12 countries, assessed 13-year-old students' achievement in mathematics, reading comprehension, geography, science, and non-verbal ability. The aim of this research, known as the Pilot Twelve-Country Study, was to investigate the feasibility of more extensive assessments of educational achievement. The study produced findings of academic and practical value, but more importantly demonstrated the feasibility of conducting large-scale, cross-national surveys.
Today, many educational stakeholders around the world are convinced of the value of conducting comparative, large-scale assessments in education, and IEA continues to play a key role in this important field of research.
Access our 60 years of IEA (1958-2018) publication for more IEA stories.
The encouraging findings of the Pilot Twelve-Country Study gave rise to the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS), which employed an improved sampling procedure and an extended test of student achievement. Data were collected in 1964 in 12 countries from two populations (13-year-old students and final-year secondary students). The study found that ‘opportunity to learn’, which refers to how a subject is actually taught in the classroom, in contrast to how it is prescribed in the curriculum, was a remarkably good predictor of systematic differences in student performance. The study also showed that all school systems suffer, to some extent, from lack of equity across different groups of students.
The Six Subject Survey (1970–1971) expanded the scope of investigation to science (known as the First International Science Study, or FISS), reading comprehension, literature education, English as a foreign language, French as a foreign language, and civic education. The researchers moved the target population from 13 to 14 years of age because by that time nearly all participating countries were keeping children in fulltime compulsory education until they reached their 15th birthday. The researchers also included additional populations (10-year-old students and final-year secondary students) for some subjects. The survey helped to identify new predictors of student achievement related to interests, motivation and attitudes, methods of teaching, and school practices.
In 1971, IEA organized a seminar on curriculum development and evaluation in Gränna, Sweden. Researchers and curriculum experts from 23 countries participated. It is often said that this seminar had a major influence on curriculum development in the majority of countries that attended.
During the late 1970s, several researchers suggested that periodic studies of the key subject areas might allow IEA to measure changes in educational achievement over time. This thinking led to the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS), which was conducted in 20 countries in 1980–1982, and the Second International Science Study (SISS), which was carried out in 24 countries in 1983–1984. The strategy of repeating a study over an interval of several years provided participating countries with important information on trends in their students’ standards of achievement in mathematics and science.
While SISS was a deliberate replication of FISS, SIMS incorporated a short-term longitudinal component. The Classroom Environment Study (1981–1983) was also longitudinal, and studied the effects of teaching behavior on student learning outcomes in nine countries; during this study, and with SIMS, the participating countries tested the same students on two separate occasions. However, it became evident that conducting measurements over only two points of time was not enough to yield the information needed to accurately estimate the effects of schools and teaching behaviors on educational achievement.
By the beginning of the 1980s, more children around the world were being enrolled in preprimary education. IEA’s member countries considered that more should be known about the cognitive, attitudinal, social, and emotional development of children in different preschool settings, including the home environment. The longitudinal Preprimary Project (PPP) addressed this interest by examining how children’s early experiences at age four affected their later cognitive and language development at age seven. Seventeen countries participated in one or more of the three phases of the study, conducted in 1987–1989, 1992, and 1995–1997, respectively.
Further studies included the Written Composition Study, which was conducted in 1984–1985 in 14 countries. It examined the teaching and learning of written composition by assessing students near the end of primary schooling, students near the end of compulsory schooling, and students near the end of academic secondary school in order to identify the associated beliefs and conventions. The study assessed six types of writing according to the dimensions of style and tone, overall impression, content, and organization, with particular attention paid to cultural background, curriculum, and teaching practices.
Levels of reading literacy of 9-year-old and 14-year-old students across countries, as well as the nature of reading instruction and relationships between reading comprehension and aspects of home and school environment were examined in the Reading Literacy Study, which was conducted in 1990–1991.
The 1990s brought new challenges and successes. As a result of government programs, computers began to play a more significant role in school education. The Computers in Education Study (COMPED), conducted in 1989 and 1992, aimed to describe and analyze various aspects of the introduction and use of computers in participating countries. Stage 1 of the study was a descriptive survey that investigated computer use at the elementary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary levels. The first part of Stage 2 was a follow-up to Stage 1, enabling a longitudinal study of trends. The second part involved assessing the effects of schools, teachers, and classroom practices on student outcomes in the domain of computer usage in schools.
The Second Information Technology in Education Study Module 1 (SITES-M1) provided an update on the state of affairs in 26 countries, investigating computer technology resources and their use and integration into the instructional process; data were collected in 1998–1999. SITES-M2 (2001) was a qualitative study, based on case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using information and computer technology (ICT) in 28 countries. Five years later, SITES 2006 explored what countries’ efforts to promote the pedagogical use of ICT had achieved since the SITES-M1 data collection.
Political changes resulting from the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and central-eastern Europe raised new questions about education of the “good citizen.” To answer these questions, the Civic Education Study (CIVED) investigated 14-year-old students’ civic knowledge and engagement, as well as related policies and practices. Thirty-one countries, including nine former communist countries, participated in one or both phases of the study (1996–1997 and 1999).
Another study that aimed to meet the policy demands of the late 1990s was the Language Education Study. Initially planned as a three-phase project but due to lack of funding only Phase 1 regarding the policy context was completed. Twenty-five countries participated in this phase of the project in 1995. These countries collected data on second and foreign language education and polices for four languages: English, French, German, and Spanish.
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 1995) was the first in a four-year cycle of assessments in mathematics and science, now known as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. With 46 participating countries and over half a million students in five grades, it was also the largest and most ambitious study of comparative education undertaken at the time. As an additional option, some countries tested two special subgroups of final-year secondary students enrolled in advanced mathematics and/or physics courses. This option later became known as the first cycle of TIMSS Advanced. Subsequent regular data collections for TIMSS took place in 1999 (also known as TIMSS-Repeat), 2003, 2007, Advanced 2008, 2011, 2015, Advanced 2015, and 2019. All of these assessments were conducted at the fourth and eighth grades. TIMSS 2023 marks the eighth cycle of the study.
The Reading Literacy Study (1990–1991), with 32 participating countries, was a milestone for IEA. It was characteristic of other IEA studies in its focus on both student achievement and educational contexts. The study also collected background information on students’ voluntary reading activities. The Reading Literacy Study was a major step forward for IEA, acting as a predecessor of PIRLS.
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) has been conducted in five-year intervals, to date 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021. PIRLS investigates changes over time in children’s reading achievement at the fourth grade, an important transition point in their development as readers. The study also gathers information on reading education and children’s early experiences at home and school in learning to read. In 2011, PIRLS Literacy (formerly known as prePIRLS) was offered for the first time for countries whose fourth grade students were still developing fundamental reading skills. In 2016, ePIRLS was launched, an innovative assessment of online reading enabling participating education systems to understand how successful they are in preparing fourth grade students to read, comprehend, and interpret online information. This option was further developed into digitalPIRLS for PIRLS 2021. PIRLS 2026 marks the sixth cycle of the study and will complete the transition to fully digital assessment.
IEA’s cycle of trend studies in basic school subjects continues to attract an increasing number of countries from all around the world. More than 45 education systems participated in PIRLS and over 60 education systems joined TIMSS in 2011, a year that marked a unique event—joint assessment at the fourth grade—in the history of both cycles. Some participants were ‘newcomers’ to international assessment, while many others represented low- or middle-income countries whose social, political, and economic situations differ from the countries that have traditionally participated in IEA studies.
The first decade of the new century brought two meaningful developments to IEA studies: creating a base for new cycles (civic education, advanced mathematics, and science), and entering new areas of assessment (computer and information literacy of students, teacher education). We also continued to develop and adapt our existing studies to keep pace with progress in educational assessment and policy.
The first International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which young people in 38 countries were prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. ICCS 2009 assessed changes over time since CIVED. It also broadened the scope of research by introducing novel regional modules for Asia, Europe, and Latin America. This approach allowed the countries in these regions to address questions important in their specific contexts.
The second cycle of the study, ICCS 2016, also investigated students' knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship, as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. For countries that participated in ICCS 2009, the study was designed to monitor trends in civic knowledge and engagement over seven years.
For ICCS 2022, IEA is working in collaboration with UNESCO to incorporate indicators of knowledge and understanding, skills, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors relating to Global Citizenship Education (GCED), and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), with the aim of helping countries monitor progress toward the new sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly target 4.7. ICCS is now the world's longest running international civic education study.
The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) was IEA’s first study of tertiary education. It examined the policies, programs, and practices for preparing elementary and lower-secondary mathematics teachers in 17 countries.
In response to continuing interest in ICT as a “21st century skill,” IEA initiated the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) in 2013. The aim of this study was to evaluate students’ understanding of and skills in using computers via an authentic computer-based assessment for eighth grade students. ICILS 2018 is linked directly to ICILS 2013, allowing countries that participated in the previous cycle to monitor changes over time in computer and information literacy achievement and its teaching and learning contexts. ICILS 2018 also introduced a new, option computational thinking. This domain included not only programming but also structuring and manipulation data sets. ICILS 2023 will consider how prepared students are for study, work, and life in a digital world.
IEA ilipata jina lake rasmi mnamo 1967. Tangu mwaka 1958 kikundi cha wataalamu wa elimu, wasomi wa kisaikolojia, wataalamu wa jamii na wataalamu wa psychometrics walikutana katika Taasisi ya Elimu ya UNESCO huko Hamburg, Ujerumani, kujadili matatizo yanayohusiana na tathmini ya ufanisi wa shule na kujifunza kwa wanafunzi. Walidai kwamba tathmini ya ufanisi inahitaji uchunguzi wa wote wa pembejeo kwa elimu na matokeo yake (kama vile maarifa, mitazamo, na ushiriki). "Wazalishaji wa IEA waliona ulimwengu kama maabara ya asili ya elimu, ambapo mifumo tofauti ya shule inajaribu njia tofauti za kupata matokeo bora kutoka kwa kuelimisha vijana wao. """ Walidhani kwamba ikiwa utafiti ungeweza kupata ushahidi kutoka kwa mifumo mbalimbali, kutofautiana kungekuwa na kutosha kufunua mahusiano muhimu ambayo vinginevyo yangeponyoka kugunduliwa ndani ya mfumo mmoja wa elimu. Walitaacha kwa nguvu madai ya data-free kuhusu sifa za jamaa za mifumo mbalimbali ya elimu, na lengo la kutambua mambo ambayo ingekuwa na athari muhimu na thabiti juu ya matokeo ya elimu. Uchunguzi wa kwanza uliofanywa na IEA mnamo 1960 katika nchi 12 ulichunguza mafanikio ya wanafunzi wa miaka 13 katika hisabati, kuelewa kusoma, jiografia, sayansi, na uwezo wa kusema bila kusema. Lengo la utafiti huu, unaojulikana kama Utafiti wa Majaribio wa Nchi Kumi na Mbili, ilikuwa kuchunguza uwezekano wa tathmini kubwa zaidi ya mafanikio ya elimu. Utafiti huo ulitoa matokeo ya thamani ya kitaaluma na vitendo, lakini muhimu zaidi ilionyesha uwezekano wa kufanya uchunguzi mkubwa wa kimataifa. Leo, wadau wengi wa elimu duniani kote wameamini thamani ya kufanya tathmini za kulinganisha, za kiwango kikubwa katika elimu, na IEA inaendelea kucheza jukumu muhimu katika uwanja huu muhimu wa utafiti. "Kuchunguza ""Mwaka wa 60 wa IEA"" na ""Mwaka wa 60 wa IEA"" kwa maelezo zaidi." Matokeo ya utafiti wa kwanza wa kimataifa wa hesabu (FIMS) ulijumuisha vipimo vya wanafunzi na matokeo ya utafiti wa wanafunzi. Takwimu za mwaka 1964 zilikusanywa katika nchi 12 kutoka kwa idadi mbili za watu (wanafunzi wa miaka 13 na wanafunzi wa mwaka wa mwisho wa sekondari). Utafiti huo uligundua kuwa "fursa ya kujifunza" - ambayo inahusu jinsi somo linavyofundishwa katika darasa, kinyume na jinsi inavyoelezwa katika mtaala - ilikuwa utabiri mzuri sana wa tofauti za utaratibu katika utendaji wa mwanafunzi. Utafiti huo pia ulionyesha kwamba mifumo yote ya shule inaugua, kwa kiwango fulani, kutokana na ukosefu wa usawa kati ya vikundi tofauti vya wanafunzi. Uchunguzi wa masomo sita (Six Subject Survey, FISS) uliongeza kiwango cha uchunguzi kwa sayansi (inajulikana kama Utafiti wa Kwanza wa Sayansi ya Kimataifa, au FISS), kusoma, kuelewa, elimu ya fasihi, Kiingereza kama lugha ya kigeni, Kifaransa kama lugha ya kigeni, na elimu ya kiraia. Watafiti walihama idadi ya watu wa lengo kutoka umri wa miaka 13 hadi 14, kwa sababu wakati huo karibu nchi zote zilizoshiriki zilikuwa zikifanya watoto wa shule ya lazima ya wakati wote hadi walipofikia miaka yao ya 15. Watafiti pia walijumuisha idadi ya watu wa ziada (wanafunzi wa miaka 10 na wanafunzi wa mwaka wa mwisho wa sekondari) kwa baadhi ya masomo. Uchunguzi huo ulisaidia kutambua viashiria vipya vya mafanikio ya wanafunzi yanayohusiana na maslahi, motisha na mitazamo, mbinu za kufundisha, na mazoea ya shule. Mwaka 1971 IEA iliandaa semina ya maendeleo ya mtaala na tathmini katika Gränna, Sweden. Watafiti na wataalamu wa masomo kutoka nchi 23 walishiriki. Mara nyingi inasemekana kwamba semina hii ilikuwa na ushawishi mkubwa juu ya maendeleo ya mtaala katika nchi nyingi ambazo zilihudhuria. Katika miaka ya 1970, watafiti kadhaa walipendekeza kwamba masomo ya mara kwa mara ya maeneo muhimu ya mada yanaweza kuruhusu IEA kupima mabadiliko katika mafanikio ya elimu kwa muda. Utafiti huo uliongoza kwenye utafiti wa pili wa kimataifa wa hisabati (SIMS) uliofanywa katika nchi 20 kati ya 1980 na 1982, na utafiti wa pili wa kimataifa wa sayansi (SISS) uliofanywa katika nchi 24 kati ya 1983 na 1984. Mkakati wa kurudia utafiti kwa muda wa miaka kadhaa ulitoa nchi zinazoshiriki habari muhimu juu ya mwenendo katika viwango vya wanafunzi wao wa mafanikio katika hisabati na sayansi. Wakati SISS ilikuwa nakala ya makusudi ya FISS, SIMS ilijumuisha sehemu ya muda mfupi ya urefu. Utafiti wa Mazingira ya Darasa (1981-1983) pia ulikuwa wa urefu, na ulichunguza athari za tabia ya kufundisha juu ya matokeo ya kujifunza ya wanafunzi katika nchi tisa; wakati wa utafiti huu, na na SIMS, nchi zinazoshiriki zilijaribu wanafunzi sawa katika hafla mbili tofauti. Hata hivyo, ilionekana wazi kwamba kufanya vipimo katika hatua mbili tu za muda haikutosha kutoa habari zinazohitajika kukadiria kwa usahihi athari za shule na tabia za kufundisha juu ya mafanikio ya elimu. Kuanzia mwaka wa 1980, idadi ya watoto waliosoma shule za msingi iliongezeka. Nchi wanachama wa IEA waliona kwamba zaidi inapaswa kujulikana kuhusu utambuzi, mtazamo, kijamii, na kihisia maendeleo ya watoto katika mazingira tofauti ya kabla ya shule, ikiwa ni pamoja na mazingira ya nyumbani. Mradi wa Longitudinal Pre-Primary ulijibu maslahi haya kwa kuchunguza jinsi uzoefu wa mapema wa watoto katika umri wa miaka minne uliathiri maendeleo yao ya baadaye ya utambuzi na lugha katika umri wa miaka saba. Nchi 17 zilishiriki katika hatua moja au zaidi ya hatua tatu za utafiti huo, uliofanywa katika 1987-1989, 1992 na 1995-1997. Utafiti wa Uandishi wa Maandishi ulifanywa katika nchi 14 kati ya mwaka wa 1984 na 1985. Utafiti huo ulichunguza ufundishaji na kujifunza kwa kuandika kwa kuchunguza wanafunzi karibu na mwisho wa shule ya msingi, wanafunzi karibu na mwisho wa shule ya lazima, na wanafunzi karibu na mwisho wa shule ya sekondari ya kitaaluma ili kutambua imani na mikataba inayohusiana. Utafiti huo ulikadiria aina sita za maandishi kulingana na vipimo vya mtindo na sauti, hisia ya jumla, yaliyomo, na shirika, na umakini maalum uliotolewa kwa asili ya kitamaduni, mtaala, na mazoea ya kufundisha. Kiwango cha kusoma na kuandika kwa wanafunzi wa miaka 9 na 14 katika nchi zote, pamoja na asili ya mafundisho ya kusoma na mahusiano kati ya kuelewa kusoma na mambo ya mazingira ya nyumbani na shule, yalichunguzwa katika utafiti wa kusoma na kuandika uliofanywa katika 1990 na 1991. Miaka ya 1990 ilileta changamoto mpya na mafanikio. Kwa sababu ya programu za serikali, kompyuta zilianza kuwa na fungu muhimu zaidi katika elimu ya shule. Utafiti wa Kompyuta katika Elimu (COMPED) uliofanywa mnamo 1989 na 1992 ulilenga kuelezea na kuchambua mambo mbalimbali ya kuanzishwa na matumizi ya kompyuta katika nchi zinazoshiriki. Katika hatua ya kwanza ya utafiti huo, uchunguzi ulifanywa kuhusu matumizi ya kompyuta katika shule za msingi, za sekondari na za sekondari. Sehemu ya kwanza ya hatua ya pili ilikuwa ni kufuatilia hatua ya kwanza, kuwezesha longitudinal utafiti wa mwenendo. Sehemu ya pili ilihusisha kutathmini athari za shule, walimu, na mazoea ya darasani juu ya matokeo ya wanafunzi katika uwanja wa matumizi ya kompyuta shuleni. Timu ya pili ya Teknolojia ya Habari katika Elimu (SITES-M1) ilitoa taarifa ya hivi karibuni juu ya hali ya mambo katika nchi 26, ikichunguza rasilimali za teknolojia ya kompyuta na matumizi yao na kuingizwa katika mchakato wa mafundisho. SITES-M2 (2001) ilikuwa utafiti wa ubora, kulingana na masomo ya kesi ya mazoea ya ufundishaji wa ubunifu kwa kutumia teknolojia ya habari na kompyuta (ICT) katika nchi 28. Katika mwaka wa 2006, SITE ilichunguza juhudi za nchi za kukuza matumizi ya elimu ya ICT tangu ukusanyaji wa data ya SITE-M1. Mabadiliko ya kisiasa yaliyotokana na kuanguka kwa ukomunisti katika Muungano wa Sovieti na Ulaya ya Kati-Mashariki yalileta maswali mapya kuhusu elimu ya raia mzuri. ili kujibu maswali haya, utafiti wa elimu ya kiraia (CIVED) ulichunguza maarifa ya kiraia ya wanafunzi wa miaka 14 na ushiriki, pamoja na sera na mazoea yanayohusiana. Nchi 31 za Ulaya, ikiwa ni pamoja na nchi tisa za zamani za Kikomunisti, zilishiriki katika awamu moja au zote mbili za utafiti huo (1996 - 1997 na 1999). Utafiti mwingine ulioelekezwa kukidhi mahitaji ya sera ya mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1990 ulikuwa Utafiti wa Elimu ya Lugha. Ilikuwa imepangwa kuwa na awamu tatu, lakini kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa fedha, hatua ya kwanza tu ya mchakato wa ujenzi ilikamilika. Nchi 25 zilishiriki katika hatua hii ya mradi huo mwaka 1995. Nchi hizo zilikusanya data kuhusu elimu ya lugha ya pili na ya kigeni na sera kwa lugha nne: Kiingereza, Kifaransa, Kijerumani, na Kihispania. Tathmini ya tatu ya Kimataifa ya Hisabati na Sayansi (TIMSS) ilikuwa ya kwanza katika mzunguko wa miaka minne ya tathmini katika hisabati na sayansi, sasa inajulikana kama Mwelekeo wa Matokeo katika Matokeo ya Kimataifa ya Hisabati na Sayansi. Pamoja na nchi 46 zinazoshiriki na zaidi ya wanafunzi milioni nusu katika madarasa matano, ilikuwa pia utafiti mkubwa na wa kutamani zaidi wa elimu ya kulinganisha uliofanywa wakati huo. Kama chaguo la ziada, baadhi ya nchi majaribio mbili maalum subgroups ya wanafunzi wa mwaka wa mwisho wa sekondari waliojiandikisha katika Advanced Mathematics na au Physics kozi. Chaguo hili baadaye likajulikana kama mzunguko wa kwanza wa TIMSS Advanced. Mkusanyiko wa data ya kawaida ya TIMSS ulifanyika mnamo 1999 (pia inajulikana kama TIMSS-Repeat), 2003, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2015 na 2019. Tathmini hizi zote zilifanywa katika darasa la nne na la nane. TIMES 2023 ni mzunguko wa nane wa utafiti. Utafiti wa kusoma na kuandika (Reading Literacy Study) uliofanywa mwaka 1991 na nchi 32 zilizoshiriki katika utafiti huo, ulifikia hatua ya kwanza katika utafiti wa IEA. Utafiti huo unafanana na utafiti mwingine wa IEA kwa kuzingatia mafanikio ya wanafunzi na mazingira ya elimu. Utafiti huo pia ulikusanya habari za msingi kuhusu shughuli za kusoma za hiari za wanafunzi. Utafiti wa kusoma na kuandika ulikuwa hatua kubwa mbele kwa IEA, ikifanya kazi kama mtangulizi wa PIRLS. Utafiti wa Maendeleo katika Kusoma na Kusoma (PIRLS) unafanyika kila baada ya miaka mitano, kuanzia mwaka 2001 hadi sasa. PIRLS inachunguza mabadiliko ya muda katika mafanikio ya kusoma ya watoto katika darasa la nne, hatua muhimu ya mpito katika maendeleo yao kama wasomaji. Utafiti huo pia hukusanya habari juu ya elimu ya kusoma na uzoefu wa mapema wa watoto nyumbani na shuleni katika kujifunza kusoma. PILLS Literacy (mfano: Pre-PILLS) ni programu ya kwanza ya elimu ya msingi ya kusoma iliyoanzishwa mwaka 2011 na wanafunzi wa darasa la nne wa shule ya sekondari. Mpango wa ePIRLS, ulianzishwa mnamo 2016, unawezesha mifumo ya elimu kushiriki kuelewa jinsi wanavyofanikiwa kuandaa wanafunzi wa darasa la nne kusoma, kuelewa na kutafsiri habari mtandaoni. Mfano huu wa digital pia unapatikana katika PIRLS 2021. PIRLS 2026 ni mzunguko wa sita wa utafiti na itakamilisha mabadiliko ya tathmini ya dijiti kabisa. Mzunguko wa IEA wa masomo ya mwenendo katika masomo ya msingi ya shule inaendelea kuvutia idadi inayoongezeka ya nchi kutoka kote ulimwenguni. Zaidi ya mifumo ya elimu 45 ilishiriki katika PIRLS na zaidi ya mifumo ya elimu 60 ilijiunga na TIMSS mnamo 2011, mwaka ambao ulishika alama ya tukio la kipekee - tathmini ya pamoja katika darasa la nne - katika historia ya mzunguko wote. Baadhi ya washiriki walikuwa 'wageni' kwa tathmini ya kimataifa, wakati wengine wengi waliwakilisha nchi za mapato ya chini au ya kati ambazo hali zao za kijamii, kisiasa, na kiuchumi zinatofautiana na nchi ambazo kwa kawaida zimeshiriki katika masomo ya IEA. Miaka kumi ya kwanza ya karne mpya ilileta maendeleo mawili muhimu kwa masomo ya IEA: kuunda msingi wa mzunguko mpya (elimu ya kiraia, hisabati ya juu, na sayansi) na kuingia katika maeneo mapya ya tathmini (kompyuta na ujuzi wa habari wa wanafunzi, elimu ya walimu). Pia tuliendelea kuendeleza na kurekebisha masomo yetu ya sasa ili kuendelea na maendeleo katika tathmini ya elimu na sera. Utafiti wa kwanza wa kimataifa wa elimu ya raia na uraia (ICCS) ulichunguza jinsi vijana katika nchi 38 walivyo tayari kuchukua majukumu yao kama raia. ICCS 2009 ilichunguza mabadiliko kwa muda tangu CIVED. Pia ilipanua wigo wa utafiti kwa kuanzisha moduli mpya za kikanda kwa Asia, Ulaya, na Amerika ya Kusini. Njia hii iliwawezesha nchi katika mikoa hii kushughulikia maswali muhimu katika muktadha wao maalum. Katika kipindi cha pili cha utafiti, ICCS 2016, pia ilichunguza maarifa na uelewa wa wanafunzi wa dhana na masuala yanayohusiana na elimu ya kiraia na uraia, pamoja na imani zao, mitazamo na tabia. Kwa nchi zilizoshiriki katika ICCS 2009, utafiti huo ulibuniwa kufuatilia mwenendo wa maarifa ya kiraia na ushiriki kwa zaidi ya miaka saba. ICS 2022 ni mpango wa kimataifa wa kimataifa wa kuimarisha elimu ya kiraia ya kimataifa (GCED) na elimu ya maendeleo endelevu (ESD) kwa lengo la kusaidia nchi kufuatilia maendeleo kuelekea malengo mapya ya maendeleo endelevu (SDGs), hasa lengo la 4.7. ICCS ni utafiti wa kimataifa wa elimu ya kiraia unaoendelea kwa muda mrefu zaidi ulimwenguni. Utafiti wa Elimu ya Mwalimu na Maendeleo katika Hisabati (TEDS-M) ilikuwa utafiti wa kwanza wa IEA wa elimu ya juu. Kwa mfano, utafiti wa mwaka wa 2017 ulionyesha jinsi elimu ya msingi, elimu ya msingi na elimu ya sekondari inavyoweza kuwezesha wanafunzi wa shule ya msingi na ya sekondari kupata elimu ya msingi. Kwa mujibu wa utafiti wa ICSI, ICSI ni moja ya vipaumbele vya kimataifa vya kompyuta na elimu ya habari (ICILS). Lengo la utafiti huu lilikuwa kutathmini uelewa wa wanafunzi na ujuzi katika kutumia kompyuta kupitia tathmini halisi ya msingi wa kompyuta kwa wanafunzi wa darasa la nane. ICILS 2018 inaunganishwa moja kwa moja na ICILS 2013, ikiruhusu nchi zilizoshiriki katika mzunguko wa awali kufuatilia mabadiliko ya muda katika mafanikio ya ujuzi wa kompyuta na habari na muktadha wake wa kufundisha na kujifunza. ICL 2018 pia ilianzisha mawazo mapya ya kompyuta. Eneo hili ni pamoja na si tu programu lakini pia muundo na udhibiti seti za data. ICILS 2023 itachunguza jinsi wanafunzi wanavyojitayarisha kwa masomo, kazi na maisha katika ulimwengu wa dijiti.