International programs for the evaluation of academic achievements and their influence on educational policies in Latin America

This article examines the development of the evaluation programs in education, in particular, of the International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSA), their links to global education policies and their consequences for national education policies in Latin America. This article is based on a review of international literature with a critical perspective. From the review of the literature it was possible to confirm that there is a great variability of studies and analysis on the evaluation policies, in particular of the international evaluation programs. The analysis identifies trends in global education policies, such as the growing influence of large-scale standardized tests with an influence on the educational policies of different countries in the design of improvement programs and projects, and the decreasing role of the State in its formulation and implementation. It can also be noted the development of critical voices expressing concern for the alliances of international organizations to promote policies and agendas in education and the risk involved in denying cultural differences and to promote the convergence of unique indicators and the development of rankings between countries for the assessment in education