Monitor Toolbox
School education
Key competences
“The share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science should be less than 15% by 2030.”
“The share of low-achieving eighth graders in computer and information literacy should be less than 15% by 2030.”
Main indicator
The share of 15-year-old students (attending educational institutions in grade 7 of compulsory education or higher), who fail to reach level 2 on the proficiency scale in the respective domain (reading, mathematics or science). The source is the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA), as collected and administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The results are available on Eurostat’s website.
The share of students in their eighth year of schooling performing below the level 2 threshold on the computer and information literacy achievement scale of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS). ICILS is conducted every five years by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The most recent results are from 2018 , and results from the 2023 data collection are expected in November 2024.
Other indicators
- Low performance in reading, measuring the share of pupils in grade four not reaching the intermediate international benchmark in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), conducted by the IEA.
Enabling the acquisition of key competences
- Explicit promotion of cross-curricular learning in the curriculum and/or other steering documents.
- Top-level policies to support teachers in delivering cross-curricular learning.
- Specific criteria related to cross-curricular learning in external and/or internal school evaluation.
- Top-level requirement for student participation in decision-making at school.
- Top-level requirement for student participation in quality assurance mechanisms.
Enabling digital education and fostering digital skills
- Curriculum approaches to teaching digital competences and compulsory starting grade.
- Informatics as a separate subject by grade.
- Mandatory inclusion of teacher-specific digital competences in ITE curricula.
- Existence of alternative pathways or retraining programmes to prepare school informatics teachers.
- Assessment of students’ digital competences through national tests.
- Digital education ecosystem at school.