Testing in Mexico-PLEASE HELP!

[amity smith]

Hello everyone!
I am taking a comparative education course as part of my graduate work and I desperately need some help. I have to write a paper on assessments and testing in Mexico. I have been researching assessment in mexican primary and secondary schools for days, and I can't seem to find any information on this topic. Do primary and secondary schools have a countrywide standardized assessment that all students have to take? If so, what is the attitude that most teachers have towards these tests and what are the teacher expectations in relation to the tests? Are there any pressures put on teachers as far as standards and assessment is concerned? Are there any resources you can suggest for me to find out more information on this, like a website or online journal? I would be very grateful for any information.

[Dixie Santana]

Hi,
I 'm assuming you're interested in general exams, and not English language exams. English is not a required subject in primary school yet.
Students take an exam called ENLACE. It's a standardized test taken at most levels. I don't teach at that level, so I don't know much about it, but if you do a Google search, you can find some information about it. Also, there is research being done.
Another exam is the PISA evaluations. These are carried out in the OECD countries, and Mexico is invited to participate. These tests only measure reading comprehension skills and math.

[Gilberto Rios Zamora]

Greetings from Mazatlan:
I can tell you that elementary schools have the "ENLACE EXAM", I know that there is also the PISA exam, this is for High School. Perhaps you can visit "http://sep.gob.mx" there has to be a link for examinations, let's understand that these examinations are used to have a more objective information on how education is doing so international organizations can catalogue Mexico according to their results. Don't take this for granted, but there are teachers that are not so motivated towards these examinations and therefore do not support them the way they should, but there are others that really care about them.
I hope this can give you a starter in your paper, feel free to ask any other questions.

Sincerely
Gilberto Rios