Improving accessibility in PISA

This paper presents the development and implementation of accessibility guidelines for PISA items, undertaken as part of the PISA Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) project on improving accessibility. We reviewed the literature and identified key accessibility frameworks and principles to develop a set of practical guidelines aimed at enhancing the accessibility of PISA items. The guidelines were applied to a set of PISA Science items for a new alternative PISA Science form. The form was piloted in 2024 in a small-scale observational study across seven countries and targeted students with moderate difficulties seeing, specific difficulties reading, and difficulties focusing and controlling behaviour. Feedback from participating students and national centres indicated that the revised items were significantly more accessible and highlighted areas for further refinement. This work lays the groundwork for broader efforts to enhance the accessibility in PISA across domains.