In a unique European school system where students progress without major exams until the Baccalaureate, assessment had long relied on teachers’ professional judgment until PISA for Schools (PFS) was introduced. Initially, there was apprehension about what the results might reveal. Yet, the school chose to view the data not as a verdict, but as an opportunity for reflection. The findings were illuminating: strong performance in reading, but gaps in motivation and wellbeing, highlighting the need to balance ambition with curiosity. In response, the school launched targeted initiatives, including interdisciplinary projects, Olympiads, resilience workshops, and parent engagement programmes.
Challenges persist, but PFS has become a cornerstone of continuous improvement helping the school hold itself accountable to the aspirations it sets for its students.
Similarly, India’s schools today need evidence to open pathways for real transformation. On 25th September 2025, Excel One hosted its exclusive event “Building a Culture of Evidence: India’s School Education Transformation.” The conversations underscored the powerful idea that India’s education reforms cannot rest on intuition or tradition alone; they must be rooted in evidence. This is backed by National Education Policy’s (NEP 2020) call for competency-based education and assessments.
Changing Landscape
The world of education is entering uncharted but fertile territory for growth and transformation. By 2030, 92 million jobs will disappear, but 170 million new ones will emerge based on entirely different skillsets. The real question is whether our students are ready.
OECD’s State of Global Teenage Career Preparation highlights the gap, 39% of students are unclear about their career goals, and 33% feel school hasn’t prepared them with useful job skills. The message is clear: young people need stronger links between classroom learning and the skills, knowledge, and pathways that shape their future careers.
Education backed by evidence can help.
Evidence as Prescription and Not as Diagnosis
One analogy from the event captured beautifully: the PISA for Schools report is like a medical prescription. When a doctor diagnoses diabetes, the test result is not enough; you must act, change your lifestyle, and track progress. Similarly, PISA for Schools reports provide schools with evidence not just to know where they stand, but to plan targeted improvements.
That is why Cycle 1 is not the same as Cycle 2. Participating in multiple cycles helps schools and teachers identify progress, contextualize change, and measure whether interventions are working. Importantly, OECD evolves the PISA assessment each cycle to reflect emerging global realities.
But data without interpretation can overwhelm. Many school leaders and teachers are unsure how to move from a 100-page report to classroom action. This is where Excel One steps in. We help schools translate findings into practical strategies to enable transformation.
Beyond Rankings Towards Reflection and Growth
While international benchmarking often gets reduced to league tables, PISA for Schools real purpose is reflection. Take Spain, for instance. Instead of celebrating absolute rank, it rewards schools for the improvements they make between cycles. This approach shifts the focus from competition to growth.
These offer lessons for India, where classrooms are diverse—linguistically, culturally, and socio-economically. The lessons from international benchmarking are reinforced by OECD’s broader research. Across countries, the organisation highlights trends and insights that are critical for schools preparing students for an uncertain future.
Insights from OECD’s Work
The OECD reminds us that education systems today are preparing students for futures we cannot fully predict. Three insights stand out:
- Digitisation and AI are evolving faster than curricula. Students must be prepared not only for today’s jobs, but also for roles that don’t yet exist.
- Transformative competencies matter. The OECD Learning Compass highlights three: creating new value, acting ethically, and reconciling tensions.
- Academic and socio-emotional outcomes go hand in hand. Countries where students display higher confidence and a growth mindset tend to perform better in math, science, and reading. More classroom hours alone do not guarantee learning outcomes.
In short, what matters is engaged, resilient learners who can apply knowledge in real-world contexts.
From Global Evidence to India’s Context
Just as Indian schools can adapt global practices, other nations are keen to learn from India’s innovations in scale and access. India’s journey with evidence in education is still young, but fast maturing. Can India build a national quality movement anchored in data, aligned to SDG 4 (Quality Education), and make schools globally competitive while rooted in Indian realities?
The PISA for Schools framework offers exactly that possibility. Unlike national tests, it provides school-level diagnostics. For instance, data on bullying and its correlation with academic performance helps schools identify climate issues that directly affect outcomes. Insights into student confidence and mindset give teachers actionable levers for improvement.
A Yatra, Not a Destination
Building a culture of evidence is a yatra. Building a culture of evidence is not a one-time initiative but a continuous process: using data thoughtfully, applying it with context, and striving for improvement cycle after cycle.
In this sense, PISA for Schools is less about measurement and more about transformation. It helps India ask:
- Are we preparing students for the future of work and society?
- Are we equipping them with resilience, ethics, and creativity?
- Are we learning from others, and allowing others to learn from us?
If the NEP was the call to action, and OECD’s PISA provides the compass, then Excel One’s role is to help schools navigate. The journey ahead is about readiness. Readiness for jobs. Readiness for citizenship. Readiness for a society that is more uncertain, digitized, and interconnected than ever before. For India, embracing a culture of evidence is an investment in the future of the nation. Join us in this Yatra.
“I am content to follow to its source Every event in action or in thought; Measure the lot; forgive myself the lot!” — W.B. Yeats
Yeats’ lines remind us what it means to turn reflection into renewal.
This spirit came alive at Excel One’s “Building a Culture of Evidence” event. As speakers shared how data can move from being a verdict to becoming a guide, one thought stayed with me: education reform is not an event; it’s a Yatra.
- December 12, 2025