Mexico is preparing for the implementation of the PISA 2025 test, which will be held between April and May of this year. The Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado, confirmed that in this edition, coordinated by the National Center for Assessment for Education (Ceneval), around seven thousand students aged 15 from 321 schools across Mexico will participate. The goal is to measure students' knowledge and skills in areas such as mathematics, reading, and science.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), evaluates 15-year-olds who are about to complete basic education. Its purpose is to measure students' preparedness for the challenges of adult life, including both academic knowledge and the competencies needed to actively participate in today's society.
Mexico's results in previous editions have raised concerns due to low educational levels. In 2022, the country ranked 57th out of 81 nations evaluated, below the OECD average in all three assessed areas. There was a significant drop in mathematics, returning to levels of 2002, highlighting the weaknesses in the Mexican education system.
Despite the current government's criticisms of standardized tests, considering that they are limited in comprehensively assessing student performance, Mexico will participate in the international evaluation. A pilot test was conducted in some regions of the country in 2024, but no details about the results were provided. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reaffirmed the government's commitment to the PISA 2025 test.
Although rumors circulated about a mandate from the Judiciary requiring the test to be conducted, the Ministry of Public Education denied this situation and confirmed that Mexico's participation is voluntary. The government emphasizes the importance of the New Mexican School, which seeks a diagnostic and personalized approach to learning, through teacher autonomy, for closer follow-up and adaptation to the specific needs of each student.
