The FLA aims to inform and improve language teaching by providing:

International Comparisons

• Proficiency levels based on the CEFR scale
• Performance results that take into account context factors

National diagnostics

• Strengths and weaknesses in the mastery of foreign languages
• Achievement gaps and variation within the school system
• Analysis of trends

Policy and practice lessons

• Identification of best practices in the teaching and learning of foreign languages in school settings

Many actors have been involved in the development and implementation of the FLA, including representatives from governments of countries and economies participating in PISA, researchers, national and international experts, partners, and the OECD Secretariat.

• Government representatives are actively participating in the design of the assessment and framework, in the choice of the policy questions they expect the assessment to answer and in the design of the questionnaires through workshops, written feedback, and online meetings.

• Researchers and experts are providing inputs, advice and guidance throughout all the stages of the assessment design and development.
  
  
• The European Commission (EC) follows the development of the test closely, assisting with expertise built on previous work at EU level and the European Framework of Reference for Language Competences. The EC is also co-funding the development of the framework and the contextual questionnaires, the pilot of speaking and listening, country engagement, the preparation of the implementation, the preparation of a case studies publication in five countries the implementation, and the analysis and dissemination of results.

• The test is being developed in a partnership with Cambridge Assessment English.‌ 

• The OECD Secretariat has a coordinating role of all the above actors as well as with the PISA Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and the contractors for PISA 2025 who will be in charge of implementing the assessment.

Questions about the assessment? Contact Tue Halgreen or Catalina Covacevich

*Panama will participate in the FLA teacher questionnaire but not in the student assessment.

So far PISA has focused on reading and writing skills in different domains. Speaking and listening skills have never been included in PISA, so assessing them presents an opportunity to expand PISA’s assessment methodology.  These competences are central for the construct being assessed and the Expert Group has advised that their assessment is viable within the PISA constraints if adequate room arrangements are implemented.

A pilot was carried out in a diverse group of five volunteer countries during the PISA 2022 Field Trial. Overall, the pilot study confirmed the feasibility of assessing speaking and listening skills in PISA. The pilot also helped identify areas of attention for the preparation and implementation that will ensure a successful test situation.