National and International Assessment in Brazil: the link between PISA and IDEB

Abstract: This article analyses the relationship between the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)designed by OECD and the Index of Development of Basic Education (IDEB), designed by INEP. Currently, educational systems are subjected to implement national and international standard assessments. This process is the result of the New Public Management (NPM) policy implementation, which in Brazil starts at the beginning of the nineties. In this context, statistical data play a relevant role as a government policy tool. This work presents the development of PISA and IDEB, how they relate - from a statistical, methodological and political perspective, and how these dynamics influence the Brazilian educational policy.