Verfälschte PISA-Ergebnisse? Zur Bildungsbenachteiligung von Migrantenkindern in Shanghai

Abstract

In 2009 Shanghai took part in the international PISA tests (Programme for International Student Assessment) for the first time, with the city having the highest overall marks among all participants. When Shanghai's students again, in PISA 2012, not only came top of the global class in math, reading, and science but also scored even better than their predecessors, it fueled a global debate about China's education system in general and Shanghai's best practices in particular. While many critics pointed out the special qualities of test-proofed Chinese students, some even went as far as to raise allegations of cheating. These claims cannot be substantiated, but an analysis of available information about compulsory education in urban China and in Shanghai reveals that the latter's PISA scores might not reflect the "true" level of education of all children there, should migrant parents not be sending their children back to the countryside as a result of being discriminated against in the city.